Engaging Nightmare
by angelic-o-wings
Summary: Children normally look at the world as a place of fun and play. But, when they grow older, that view is shattered into millions of pieces, along with that precious innocence. Rated for language and sexual content. Rating may change...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Phineas and Ferb, only Disney owns it. I do however own Lili, Carmen, and all those other fictional characters mentioned in this upcoming chapter! XD**

**Summery:**** It's seven years later and the boy's have certainly grown in body and mind. Ferb is now seventeen and is a senior in Danville private school, while his step-brother, Phineas is a sophomore in public school. Candace has left to start her own life, which began as soon as she graduated when she was eighteen. **

**The story is mainly focused in Ferb's point of view, though it will swap every now and then to get into deeper issues and keep this thing moving along. It's a very deep and dramatic love story; I guess it's a love triangle…You'll understand when we get more into the story.**

**Anyway, the whole story takes place in Danville (which I don't own) and some of the main places are the Flynn/Fletcher home and public and private school. I know, it sounds really boring right now. But trust me, it'll get better! LOL!**

**Author's Note: ****Okay, there are some pictures on deviantArt of Phineas and Ferb I drew to help create a visual image of how I pictured/will picture them the entire time I wrote/write this. Just go to the deviantArt search engine and type in their name. Ferb's should be named 'Ferb - 17' and Phineas' 'Phineas - 15'. It definitely would have been easier to post a link, but my computer is being racist, or sexist, or retarded...or something. Well, it just won't let me do a link!**

**Also, there's a comic on my page. My deviantArt name is 'sk8erXGirl'. Check out some of my art...please.**

**Okay, well, I guess all that's taken care of! So enjoy the first chapter of _Engaging Nightmare_! =)**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge." -Thomas Carlyle_

--

_Ferb's POV_

It all started back when I was only in the eighth grade, when I was thirteen. I was removed from Danville's public school and placed within the walls of an overachievers' environment: a private school.

I had to admit, it was a nice place. I was given a uniform, which was a black tie, white button-up shirt with a coat that matched the school colors, and tan pants, on the very first day and a class schedule that better suited my knowledge.

The walls were all a nicely painted crème color; there didn't seem to be a speck of debris on the floor (or rather the janitors were quick), and there weren't as many students in the school, making the halls much less crowded. I could easily remember being knocked around while making my way to classes and my locker all those years ago due to all the students.

It was much better this way…

Of course, there was the matter that I was separated from my step-brother, Phineas Flynn. It was awful hard to cope with at first, about leaving my friends, but I still got to see them when I got home and on weekends.

It was definitely better this way.

"…Now which of you think you can answer the question?"

I looked around at my class. They all seemed as unenthusiastic about the lesson as I was. Most of the girls had their fists in their cheeks with bored looks on their face, while the boys were either leaned back in their chairs or asleep with their head down.

Another thing I like about this school: the teachers don't seem to care if the students fall asleep during a lesson. If they choose to sleep, and fail, it's all their choice. I could recall some children from my earlier years being scolded by our teachers for that action.

"How about you, Ferb?"

I quickly glanced back at my Advance English teacher, Miss Lynn. She was a short woman with dark, ragged hair, who somewhat glowed whenever she smiled. Part of me wondered how a woman so kind and lovely could still be single while in her thirties.

She had probably caught me daydreaming, which was another good reason why almost the whole class was staring at me.

They were all right. I had been, so I skimmed the board behind her as nonchalantly as I could, trying to appear as though I was thinking about the answer rather than the question.

A lot of notes about nominatives and possessive pronouns were scattered upon it along with a sentence that read, "_I gave the box back to their mother." _

It was obvious what she had asked me.

"The word 'their' is possessive, ma'am." I stated after clearing my throat. Some of the girls giggled, as they always did after I spoke during class.

I was the only one with a British accent in school (not to mention a European heritage), and I wasn't too sure if they found it humorous or interesting.

She smiled warmly at me, "Very good! Now let's move on to gerunds and participles."

The students that had turned around were now back in their original positions, along with me resuming my blank stare out the window for a second time, trying to block out the grammar lessons I clearly knew.

A few people were outside on the football field. One was a boy I recognized from my chemistry class during first period, Derik Brown. He and I had been partners for an experiment, and it was evident that the poor guy had no idea what he was doing when we were given permission to start.

He and the other boys were just alike, tall and buff. It was very difficult to imagine myself in a uniform like that. I mentally laughed, knowing that there wasn't a size uniform in the world that would fit me in that sport category.

I was way too thin for my age and a bit on the short side as well. I definitely wouldn't last a second on that field with all those other boys, or for the record, any other sport's field.

The bell rang loudly enough to dismiss my thoughts as well as the class, stimulating everyone to grab up their things and head for the door.

Miss Lynn called out our homework assignment for the night, which I quickly wrote down in my planner before grabbing up my books and heading out the door along with everyone else.

I tried my best to dodge the others in the hallway, only being bumped by a few others as I made my way to my locker.

My locker was, and had been for the past couple of years, on the top of what felt like the very end of the school, ironically opposite of all my classes. I had the combination almost encrypted into my mind:

_02 - 14 - 03_

Well, it wasn't too hard to remember anyway, seeing as the combination perfectly reflected Valentines Day five years back.

I threw open my locker door as soon as the tumblers inside had allowed me to do so. It wasn't the cleanest nor messiest in the whole school, but it could have used a good tidying up before the second semester had begun. Carefully I shifted through the many books, papers and folders that lay in a sad waste within until I pulled out my oversized history book.

That was practically the only thing regrettable to me about taking advanced classes: the advanced sized books. My history book alone had to be a good estimation of fourteen-hundred pages and fifteen pounds. I stacked it on top of a few other things in my hands, trying my best to balance the ridiculously heavy load with only one hand.

The sound of a large group of people suddenly distracted me from closing my locker door. I carefully peaked around it to see who was speaking, only to have to whip my head back where I was unable to be seen.

Easily recognized, standing within the large crowd of boys and girls, was Carmen Alexander. For a second time, more carefully than before, I glanced in her direction. Noting every detail of her was one of the only things that made my face turn red.

Her hair was a dirty blond color that she kept straitened to a point where it glided behind her when she walked. Whenever she talked, her lips shined from the gloss she painted on them every morning, which coated burgundy lipstick. I hadn't ever gotten a really good look at her eyes, from fear that she would see me staring within them. But what time I did get to slip a gaze in her direction, I quickly noticed how her irises were the same color as my hair--a grassy-green shade. Her eyes only complimented the dark skin which clung to her slim figure, almost matching entirely her shoe color.

She was absolutely gorgeous!

I had learned her name only from the teachers, even though I didn't have a single class with her, and a few other students; I never dared talk to her. She was obviously highly out of my league. Besides, I probably wouldn't be _able_ to talk if I were within six feet of her beauty. I'd only stutter and make a fool of myself like I did with any other person who spoke to me.

Time slipped by rather quickly as I stared at her, laughing and talking to the people that surrounded her. Only when I caught that a tall, unfamiliar senior standing to her left was staring in my direction, and locked eyes with him, did I snap my head back in the position where they couldn't see me.

Within seconds I could hear snickers from about ten yards away. I was too scarred to look back and see if it was me they were laughing at: not so much out of fear but embarrassment.

I grunted and slammed my locker shut without much consideration of the clanking of magnets falling off the door. I was far too concerned about the fact that I only had about a minute to get to my fourth period class which was on the other end of the hall.

Carefully I power walked to my class, making sure not to trip over my own or someone else's shoes and humiliate myself.

--

_Lili's POV_

I hugged myself as tightly as my skinny arms would let me, wishing quietly to myself that I had brought my jacket.

Why on earth did they always keep the Chemistry room so COLD!?

"So, did you see him before class started?"

"Yeah, it was so cute the way he blushed when Jordan caught him!"

My ear slightly twitched when I caught wind of the conversation taking place behind me. I leaned back slightly in my chair and kept my head down. I wasn't normally a nosey person, but these two girls (I think their names were Joanna and Alexis) were particularly interesting when it came to gossip.

Joanna, a much taller person than I with long red hair, giggled at her friend. "He's always secretly staring at Carmen when he thinks no one's looking."

"Yeah, I guess now we know why he turned you down when you asked him out last week." Alexis said. She was about the same height as Joanna, only with jet black hair and an Asian look about her.

"He didn't turn me down!" snapped Joanna. "He just said he and his brother had plans."

"Oh, yeah? What kind of plans?"

There was a short pause. Tempted I was to turn and make sure the teacher, Mr. Edwards, hadn't walked in.

"Umm…he didn't really say…"

The sound of two hands slamming upon the desk behind me almost made me jump.  
"That's exactly what he said last time someone asked him out!" Alexis chuckled mischievously. "I think it's obvious what's going on: Ferb Fletcher has a crush on the high school bad girl Carmen!"

They continued to chatter on to themselves.  
Ferb Fletcher…That name was all too familiar to me. He and I both took Creative Writing during seventh period. We sat across from one another and talked frequently, though we never shared any deep emotions or thoughts with one another.

I sighed, brushing a stray lock of chocolate-brown hair from my pale face. I had never heard up until that moment he had a crush on Carmen Alexander. It was as much a surprise to me as those two.

Ferb was a very handsome boy. He could easily date any girl in the school, which every girl in this school (or at least a good estimation of them) _did _give him a chance to do so. I had always wondered exactly why he turned down every offer he received.

It wasn't just that. He also neglected to associate with the boys. They would constantly invite him to parties and such events, only to have him refuse every time.

I couldn't so much as blame him though. The boys at Danville Private School were smart, but wild! No one as quiet as him would want to be in a place surrounded by people so outgoing.

I sure didn't, and I was practically the same as him!

"Anyways, have I told you the news yet?" Alexis started up again, a little louder than before. I got back into my eavesdropping position, prepared to hear more. "I finally found out exactly how Carmen manages to stay in this school!"

"What do you mean 'stay in this school'?" Joanna inquired. "She stays in this school the same as all of us do, with good grades, right?"

A few seconds of silence told me that Alexis was shaking her head to indicate either a 'yes' or 'no'. My answer came quickly.

"It turns out she doesn't have the sense of a dime to stay in this school; if she were here on grades, she would have been kicked out a long time ago." I laughed barely loud enough for even my ears to hear. Carmen had been in this school longer than I had, which was about six years. "I heard from someone that the only reason she's allowed to stay here was that her father had a lot of family ties and a LOT of money!"

I could almost hear Joanna's brow furrow. "Well, money I can understand. But how can family ties keep her in a private school?"

Alexis smacked her lips before answering. "Apparently, before her mother divorced her father, Mrs. Alexander knew some people that could get her daughter into a school _better suited for her_," It was easy to tell how Alexis thought Carmen was a stuck-up, spoiled brat. Her tone was enough to tell me so. "She paid the principal and a few other people a heavy sum to let Carmen stay in a school like this."

"But what about when she left Mr. Alexander?"

"Well, the divorce determined that he was a better suited guardian for Carmen, and all the alimony Mrs. Alexander paid him was enough to keep Carmen in this school AND pay the bills to that enormous house they live in just out of town!"

"Wow." Joanna breathed in an amazed tone. "So, how do you know all of this anyway?"

A chair behind me creaked, indicating that Alexis had leaned back in hers. "Oh, I found out from a boy she used to date. He certainly did seem eager to give me all the juicy details about her." She chuckled in a sadistic manner, one that made me roll my eyes.

"You know, Carmen has dated every good looking boy in this school…minus Ferb. You'll have to give me more information than that."

The chair creaked again. "All right. It was that guy in my Spanish class; the one who sits next to me."

"Andrew C.?"

"Yeah, him! When Mrs. Andy wasn't looking, he gave me all the dirt he'd dug up from when they were going steady."

"And just how did you manage that?"

"Perhaps he has a thing for me…" Alexis giggled.

The bell suddenly rang, and all the students standing scattered to their seats in a matter of seconds. Both Joanna and Alexis were still talking softly behind me, but I wasn't listening anymore. It was very interesting what I had heard. Carmen never really said much about her home life or grades. To be honest, the only thing she did talk about that I was able to hear was how she thought some guy looked cute, how some girl should have done her hair that morning, or what base she had gotten to the night before.

To me, she was nothing more than a loaded woman who cared only about herself. It was somewhat disgusting to hear about how Ferb Fletcher could look at her like that.

Everyone in the room was instantly quite when the door swung open, and in came Mr. Edwards. Before he could even close the door again, speak of the devil, Carmen Alexander stepped into the room, carrying nothing but her leather purse.

"Carmen, this is the fifth time you've been tardy this semester! If this keeps up, I'll have to inform the principal!"

Carmen said nothing. She slightly nodded her head as she made her way to the desk in the front of the room. Her long, golden hair followed suit behind her.

I peaked at the board for our assignment as Mr. Edwards began role call. Just reading. Easy.

Absent-mindedly, I opened my Chemistry book to the instructed page and began to read, without really contemplating any of the words.

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**Confused yet? Heh. Don't' worry, it'll get better!**

**I know there's not very much dialogue in this chapter (between the main characters), but the next should be chattier. **

**Please review and tell me what you think so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING: Major Ferb dialogue commin' atcha!**

**So, yeah, enjoy chapter two!**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 2**_

--

_Ferb's POV_

The rain beating against the window was more peaceful than it was last period. I was forced to stop the trip to my locker to stare out the glass and up at the dull, cloudy sky; it was almost possible to smell the rain as it flooded in though the open doors of our school; that clean and refreshing scent not many people could appreciate.

It hadn't started raining up until my last period class, which was my eighth. Surprising as it sounds, I was offered an eighth class and gladly accepted. That turn of events certainly provided a target for Phineas, also Candice when she found out.

At these zings, which were not intended to ever hurt my feelings and never did, I countered sarcastically back with how they should watch their tongues in front of the next millionaire of America.

They laughed, fully aware that it was nothing more than a joke.

Involuntarily, I reached to press my fingers onto the cold glass beside me. My fingertips singed under the layer of freezing mist. It was somewhere around thirty degrees outside, and I'd forgotten to put my jacket on that morning.

I sighed, wishing I hadn't left it in my car.

For a moment I focused only on tracing the pattern of a circle into the glass repeatedly, trying to figure out what all things needed to be retrieved from my chaotic locker.

The clock loudly struck the fourth hour, bursting my concentration.

Quickly I picked up my load of books that rested on the floor, which had been placed there what felt like hours ago rather than a few moments.

The only thing running through my mind as I jammed all the hefty books into my dark-red backpack, slammed my locker door shut and made my way out to the car was how I would at least pretend to be angry at Phineas if I caught him outside running track in the rain.

While in the safe capacity of my Toyota Camry, sheltered from the rainfall, I shook my head roughly. My upholstery was soon wet with drops of water that dove from my messy hair.

Before my brain could even process what was going on, my silver key was rammed into the ignition, awakening the roars of the motor, and I drove as hastily and carefully as I could to Danville's public school.

--

The school was so much smaller than mine. Its library was about the size of each of my classrooms. It was easily determined that not much money or time was spent on the construction. The bricks needed a coat of paint, and some of the letters had fallen off the directory boards, such as the one in front of the football field that read, "Go D--vi-le Co-ga--!"

I had to admit, it was quite pathetic.

For the second time, I stepped out into the pouring rain. A wave of slight relief swept over me when I saw that the track field was deserted. Hopefully, Phineas was inside, waiting in the same spot as always: the main lobby.

I sprinted to the doors so fast that dirty rain water splattered onto the heels of my khaki pants. It was going to be hell getting home without dripping water all over the place. It didn't take me long to reach the entrance of the school, seeing as I didn't need getting any more wet than I was. My hair had already begun to soak my back and shoulders; I was sure my pale skin was slightly showing through the white shirt.

As soon as I opened the heavy door (which was painted the same color as the school, an off-white) I could see Phineas sitting on the far end of the hall. He sat in a chair against the wall, face buried into what appeared to be a Biology book, and seemed totally oblivious to the sound of the door banging shut.

Casually, I strode over in his direction with my hands shoved deep within my pockets. My shoes squeaked annoyingly the entire way, yet he didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

Soon I was only a foot away from where he sat, dripping water all over the floor and staring blankly down at him.

There was no way he was _that_ interested in Biology.

Growing a bit impatient and bored, I raised my right hand and thumped him slightly on his left temple. He jumped a good estimation of five inches out of his seat and spun his head in my direction so fast I though his long, red hair would slap him in the face.

"Good Lord! Where did you come from!?" he yelped.

"My car. Are you ready to go?" I wasn't in the mood for small talk. It felt as if my bones were dripping as well. I liked the rain, I just didn't like it _on_ me.

Slowly he inspected me from head to toe. "Why are you all wet? Is it raining outside?"

"Oh, no. I just decided to go for a swim before picking you up." I chuckled.

He furrowed his bushy brow and shook his head. "If you say so."

"Are you ready to go?" I repeated, keeping my voice far away from the edge of annoyance.

"Yeah." With a swift motion, he bent down to pick up the mountain-like stack of books sitting next to his chair.

"Why do you have so many books?" I asked with a tilt of my head. As soon as he had a firm grip on all of them, I began to walk back towards the door. He was only inches behind me.

"Well, Coach said if I don't get my grades up I'll be kicked off the team, right?"

I nodded. Phineas hadn't always been the brightest one in the school, or even in the Flynn/Fletcher home. Easily, I recalled him storming into the house one afternoon after a practice, griping about how he didn't have the proper grade-point average to stay on the track team. This was only a couple days ago.

He continued. "Isabella promised to swing by this afternoon and help me out with some of the things we've been working on lately."

As I held the door open for him, I noticed an Algebra book; my mouth operated much faster than my brain could.

"She's helping you with Algebra?" He turned to look at me. "Isn't she…adequate in that class?"

Luckily, for me, he wasn't offended about me insulting his girlfriend's intelligence. A slight chuckle escaped him. "Actually, yeah, she's got a D in that class, so I was wondering if you could help me out in that department," The crooked grin on his face quickly swapped to a pleading beam.

"Alright." I stated. We walked to the end of the sidewalk, just under the canopy, to stare into the sheets of rain. "I'll help just as soon as I finish mine."

"What's yours?"

I paused a moment, mesmerized by the sound of the water hitting the pavement. "I have a narrative essay due for Creative Writing."

"Due when?"

"Monday. It's a weekend assignment."

There was a slow inhale, then a yawn. "So, what do you plan to write about? Any ideas?"

"Only one: a love story."

"Ah…Well, you're lucky! All you have to do is write a love story. I have to study all weekend."

"It wouldn't be so bad if you had studied a little each day."

"Yeah," he snorted. "I'm being lectured by 'Mr. Perfect!'" Playfully, he nudged me in the arm, which I rolled my eyes at.

There wasn't a thing about me that was perfect.

We stood and stared out into the rain for a few moments. I'm sure he was as aware as I that we both were just trying to put off running out there for as long as we could.

Finally, he pulled his electric blue jacket tight around his frame. "I guess we'd better hurry. It sure doesn't look like this rain'll let up."

I nodded a 'yes', and within seconds he had darted out from under the awning and was several yards in front of me.

I was caught off guard, yet stood in place.

When he was halfway to the car, I chuckled quietly to myself. He may have been ahead of me, but _I _had the keys.

--

_Phineas' POV_

It was only a ten or fifteen minute drive from my school back home. As Ferb guessed, Mom was angry about our being soaking wet. She proceeded into asking us questions: me why I didn't carry an umbrella, and Ferb if he just stood out in the rain before picking me up.

A sly look spread across his face after that particular question, and I guessed something like that had happened.

The two of us did the same as we always did after coming home from school, emptying out the load of books onto our beds and getting started on the mind-numbing homework.

Well, at least, for me they were mind-numbing. Ferb always managed to finish his homework before me, even if his stack of books were twice the size of mine.

It felt like only a minute Ferb and I were sitting on my bed, pencils in hand, nose inches away from a piece of paper, when my step-brother slammed a text book shut and grunted triumphantly.

"You're done!?" I could almost feel my eyes widen in disbelief as he stretched out his arms above his head.

"Yes. It was only Trigonometry." he said in a bored tone.

"Trigonometry?" I slid my hand through my red hair. "I can't even do basic Algebra."

For a moment I though, watching him stack his books. I slid my hand to my red and yellow Algebra book and picked it up casually. "Would you mind taking a crack at this?" I tempted as I waving the book slightly in my hands.

He stared at me a few seconds; his thick, green hair covered up his right eye, but I could tell by the look in his left that he wasn't going to go for it.

"You know that I can't do that."

"Aw, come on! I'll bet you'll be great at factors!" I teased, grinning ear to ear.

"Gah! No, I mean, that's outrageously dishonest!" He shook his head. "And besides, if I do all you're homework, how will you learn it and teach Isabella."

A confused look flashed across my face. "Help Isabella? What do you mean?"

Until a couple minutes, only to stretch again and lay down across my bed, did he answer. "Well, she offered to help you with all of you're classes. Do you not think it's only polite to help her raise her grade? You are her boyfriend."

His words flowed almost as if they had been planned. But, then again, everything he said seemed that way. My face grew hot as a blush spread across it. From the look in Ferb's eyes, I could tell he had meant for me to be embarrassed.

"Eh…Y-you're right," I stuttered. "It is only fair." Slowly I clutched the book to my chest, trying to control the amount of blood rushing to my head.

Ferb chuckled in that musical voice of his, just causing me to look in a different direction as my face grew hotter.

I opened the book and began to look over the section we had studied in class, as he continued to lay in a position that looked like he was napping.

We both remained silent, listening only to the sounds of the rain pounding against the window to the left of us.

Before breaking the silence, I cleared my throat. "Hey, could I ask you something?"

He tilted his head in my direction, making the bedspread sigh, though kept his eyes closed.

"That all depends upon what it is."

"What type of cologne do you wear?"

In a heartbeat, he bolted upright. His eyes were wide open now, staring at me as if I had just sprouted another head.

"Alright, I do believe I _will_ move into Candace's old room!" I had to grasp his wrist before he managed to flee from the room.

"No! Wait a minute!" It took everything I had to keep from laughing, but I failed miserably. "I was only asking for this girl in my school!"

Directly after the words left my mouth, he stopped tugging at my hand around his arm and slumped back down on the bed. He groaned, "What..?"

"There's this one girl in my Biology class who wanted me to ask you that. I think her name was Rebecca…"

"Rebecca who?"

I had to think for a moment. "Rebecca Nelms?"

At first I didn't think he heard me, seeing as he only stared at me with an annoyed expression. Then, he sighed deeply and buried his hands in his face.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't answer, so I thumped him in the temple the way he had done to me earlier.

When he took his hands from his face, I repeated the question.

"Rebecca Nelms is the younger sister of Andréa Nelms?" he asked.

"I…think so," I didn't really pay attention when the girls in my class talked. That may have been why my grades were so low.

He pinched the bridge of his long, slim nose. "She's the same girl who shoved that note into my locker last week."

I couldn't contain the chuckle this time. Ferb glared at me as soon as he heard it.

"Note? And what exactly did it say, Oh Popular One?"

Instead of answering, he yanked his Chemistry folder (which was sitting at the bottom of the stack) out and took a folded piece of paper from somewhere inside of it.

He unfolded it and handed it to me.

"Ugh! It reeks of perfume!" I scowled in disgust and held it a few feet from my face with my index finger and thumb.

"I know…If you think _that's_ gross, read it."

The handwriting was some of the most beautiful I had ever seen; it closely resembled the style on the Declaration of Independence in my history book.

I read it to myself, still holding my nose though it made my eyes water:

_Dear Ferb, _

_I, like, love you so much! Youre so hot and you have the cutest acent Iv ever heard in my life! Plus youre totally the smartest boy and best looking in school!_

_I was wonderin if you would go out with me! Wed make such a cute couple, the way we dress the same every day!_

I had to stop at this point, realizing that my laughing wasn't mental and fully audible to Ferb.

"Did she write that you two 'dress the same every day?' Does she realize that everyone in that school has uniforms?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes. Amazing she made it to the twelfth grade, eh?"

"I'd say it's amazing she made it to high school!" The spelling errors were all too obvious.

This comment made him chuckle. "And that isn't even the worse part," he told me. "Keep reading."

Again, I raised the paper and picked up where I left off, reading aloud this time.

"…I really would love having you as a boyfriend! I'm sure you'd like me as you're hunny-bun!" I chuckled again. "If everything works out, we can grow up and get married and live out in the country all by ourselves! Wouldn't that be romantic!?"

By this time, Ferb was back to lying on the bed; his hands covered his entire face in shame and humiliation.

"…Love, yours always, Andréa Nelms."

I folded the note back up and placed it atop his books. The stench of her perfume still lingered on my hands. I scrubbed them against the quilts as best I could to rid of the smell.

It went away, though not completely.

"Creepy, isn't it?" he asked in a muffled voice. It _was_creepy. Just the fact that this girl went so far as to add a fragrance to her letter was disturbing enough. But when I read the words "hunny-bun, married, and romantic," it just made me want to laugh even harder.

"Sounds to me like you've got a stalker." I teased.

He scoffed, removing his hands from his face. "The worst part is, I've never even met that girl in person."

"That _does _suck." I flipped my math book back open to the correct page, having it been shut whist I was reading the 'love letter.' "So are you going to answer my question?"

He sighed tiredly. "What question?"

"Rebecca's question: what cologne do you wear? You can't expect me to show up Monday without an answer and not get mauled by her, do you?"

"Oh, yeah…" He slowly sat up. Those loose strands of hair hung in his face; he brushed them behind his right ear. "Fine. I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to laugh!"

This somewhat caught me off guard. "Why?"

"Just promise, okay?"

I shrugged. "Okay, okay. I promise."

Before answering, he coughed into his hand. "Axe."

He said it so quietly, I struggled to hear the words. "Pardon?"  
"Axe." he repeatedly a bit louder.

I blinked. The irony of what he said was slowly building up inside, making me want to burst out in hysterics. Instead, I huffed and said, "That's awfully coincidental."

"Why?"

"You've seen the commercials for it, haven't you? That may be why you're getting all those date proposes." I explained to him while grabbing a clean sheet of paper from my folder.

"Ugh…Let us _not_ go into detail about that…" He cringed. He flopped back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

I chuckled vaguely. "Sounds good." My pencil moved rapidly as I began to work out a difficult math problem, involving multiple letters and exponents. My brain began hurting just seconds after I began.

A long time ago, I realized that there were two types of people in the world: there were people like Ferb, who focused mainly on their intellectual side and didn't worry much about physical activity, and people like me, who would most likely be going to college on some sports scholarship.

We were both the opposite in that way, both crafted entirely different. Ferb was ridiculously slim, incredibly limber, and even faster than I was.

However, I was muscular with a medium built frame, stiff, and somewhat on the short side. He wasn't anywhere as strong as I; if I wanted to, I could probably lift him a couple feet into the air with ease, and he'd only throw out his back if he tried to do that with me.

It wasn't until my mind was actually focusing on the Algebra work again that I noticed I had drawn multiple pictures all over my notes page. Quickly I crumpled it up, threw it over my shoulder and retrieved another.

I was almost halfway through the problem when our bedroom door opened, and Isabella's head poked in through the crack.

"Hey, guys!" she chirped in her high pitched voice. She was covered nearly head to toe in rain droplets, though she was wearing a pale-pink coat with her hood up that shielded her ebony hair.

I was startled again by Ferb, who shot up and slid off the bed in a record time of three seconds. It terrified me; I had honestly thought he had fallen asleep.

"I think I'll go start on my essay now."

"You seem to be in a hurry." I mussed, resting my chin in my hand as a curious frown etched into my expression.

He smoothed the wrinkles from his silk shirt, undid his black tie, and slung it onto his bed across the room. "I wouldn't want to be a third wheel."

Before I even had a chance to say otherwise, he was walking past Isabella, who had begun to take off her coat.

She quickly turned to face him as soon as she was stripped of her wet garment. "Oh, hello Ferb!" she gushed.

He turned his head to face her. "Isabella." he chimed sweetly, beaming.

I could see a color of salmon-pink splash across her face. "You certainly look nice today…" She trailed off into a hushed voice, suddenly finding the buttons on her blue shirt interesting.

Ferb stared at her for a moment with a confuses look. Just before he left the room, he grinned awkwardly, moving at a much faster pace than usual to the stairs.

Isabella chuckled again, then pranced over and sat on the bed; the exact same spot my step-brother was sitting maybe thirty seconds ago.

"Umm…" I began uneasily as she directed her attention to me. "Were you just hitting on my brother?"

She blushed again, but in a much brighter tone. "Of course not!" she squeaked and quickly looked away. "I only said he looked nice."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to lie. I'm sure he knows, too." My comment only made her scoff.

"Besides, you've got all the man you need right here!" I raised my left arm and pulled back the sleeve, revealing a small bulge of muscle. "Now, how could you possibly want to stare at him more than me?"

Shaking her head, she giggled. "You're an idiot."

"And you're the one who has to tutor me!" I smirked and took her hand that lied upon the bed in mine.

"Now, do you think you could help me out with this Biology?"

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**Yes, fictionally, Danville's school mascot is a cougar. Just adding a little spice to the soup.**

**I'm hoping you've all noticed how Ferb is a bit chattier than when he was ten, eh? After reading the first chapter, I noticed how unconditionally boring his life was while in school. This should have added a little more interest rather than him just explaining everything he fells. And we got to step into Phineas' shoes! -woo!-**

**It's late; about twelve thirty. I think I'll hit the hay.**

**Please review, and I'll give you hugs!=)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Did you know there's a Danville in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Oregon, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia?**

**Lol. I copied-pasted that from the Phineas&Ferb wiki!=D**

**I really need to pick one before getting deeper into this fanfic…**

**P.S - I don't own Game Informer or Nintendo.**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 3**_

--

_Ferb's POV_

It was about the same time in the morning I always awoke: six o'clock. As usual, the obnoxious alarm began with that buzzing racket only to have the sleep button smacked by Phineas' hand.

With a grunt and moan, he lazily rolled over onto his side and drifted back to sleep.

The alarm was on his side of the room and the opposite side of and bed, but it woke me up as well as if it were hovering over my head.

I tossed the thick blanket off of me and stretched as far as my thin arms would allow over my head.

As always, my hair was a tangled mess. I brushed my hands through it as I stumbled out of bed, stepped into my white house shoes, and shuffled tiredly to Phineas bed.

"Phineas." I shook him gently in an attempt to wake him up.

"Uhhh…" he grunted again and pulled the covers tighter around his body.

"Phineas. Come on, wake up." My voice was getting slightly irritated. This time, the only response I received was him pulling the blankets over his head.

I sighed with defeat. Like every other morning, it was a waste of time and effort to try and awaken him.

It wasn't long until I was changed into an old pair of worn blue jeans and an inky black sweater that were both a size too big.

Every weekend was an enormous relief; it meant I didn't have to dress in that uncomfortable uniform! The tie was itchy on my neck, the shirt starchy, and the pants looked like something worn in soap operas.

Not that I watched them.

As soon as I was dressed, I tried my best to run a brush through my hair. I usually had to be _extra_ careful while brushing it, after the incident that happened about a year ago.

I could easily recall having needed Phineas to drag the pick across my head while I held on for dear life to the counter. Ironically, the only thing that happened was the brush being snapped in half.

Mom couldn't stop laughing as soon as she found out, and Dad (who was also laughing) told me that's why I needed to comb it every day.

I took the advice, though it hardly made any difference.

After getting it to look halfway decent, I scrubbed the dried mucus out of my eyes, brushed my teeth, sprayed on some cologne, and made my way back to the bedroom.

Phineas, having moved into the position of lying on his back, still didn't show signs of waking up any time soon. He usually didn't wake up until around eight or nine.

Ignoring his unintelligible mumbling, I grabbed a random magazine off my desk and made my way to the staircase.

Mom and Dad's room door, as always, was shut tight. The same for Candace's old room. Mom never wanted me or Phineas to go inside; she wanted to make sure it was the same as before for whenever she came to visit.

It was five years ago when she left for collage somewhere up north. If memory serves me well, she had gone under a degree in performing arts and attended classes for three years before moving into an apartment with her high-school sweetheart, Jeremy Johnson. Not only were the two of them roommates, but had been dating for several years.

We all still wait anxiously for him to pop the big question to her, though Mom thinks it will be a few more years before he asks her to commit to something like that.

As soon as I was down on the first story of the house, I headed to the kitchen to start up a fresh pot of coffee.

I was always the first one to wake up, so it was my permanent job to do those sorts of things.

It took a little while for the coffee to start up, so I sat down at the kitchen table and inspected what it was I had grabbed.

Judging by the cover, it was an old Game Informer magazine that had come in the mail a while ago. I looked at the spine to see that it had come in the mail two months ago: August.

It was hard to believe I'd never gotten the chance to even sit down and crack the new issue open; school was beginning to get more demanding with every passing day.

I shrugged off my self-pity and opened to a completely random page; the coffee grounds were beginning to flow through the air now.

The page contained an ad for the newest release of another Guitar Hero sequel. It didn't look that bad, seeing as it had some of my favorite bands. I greatly considered buying it, if we had a Wii that is.  
I wasn't too big on games; they were more of Phineas' department. I would, however, watch him play them while I lay on the couch reading or sleeping. It didn't take long for him to become frustrated, throw down the controller, and crawl upon the couch next to me to question what I was reading or try and wake me up.

He never really had that much patience of any kind.

I thumbed through the issue multiple times, not really looking at any of the pictures or reading the bold prints. That and the fan art was the only thing I really looked at in them; of course, that was one of the main reasons I split the bill for them magazines with Phineas.

The gurgling noise soon indicated that the coffee was done, so I places the magazine aside and rose from my chair.

Quickly I got three mugs from the cupboard: one for Mom, Dad, and myself.

My brother never drank coffee. The last time I asked him, he responded with a smirk about how it ruins your teeth, makes your breath smell, and didn't quite do the job of waking _him _up.

I poured a glass of the black liquid, took a few sips, and made my way back to the table. Instead of continuing my mindless scroll through the edition, I rested in the quiet of the morning without regards to doing anything besides sipping my refreshment.

It must have been when I was thirteen when I started drinking coffee. Dad have given me a cup and asked me if I wanted to try it. When I sipped it, I only complained about it being too sweet.

He tried again with a cup that had just been poured; despite what he thought I would do, which was gag and complain it was too bitter, I liked it.

Both he and mom were surprised, but I had no idea why they asked if I was sure I didn't want any creamer or sugar in it.

I had always drunk my coffee like that since then, even when buying it in cafés or service stations: pure black.

About the time I realized my cup was halfway empty, I heard heavy footfall coming down the stairs. I didn't even have to look over my shoulder to know who it was.

Within seconds, a yawn echoed through the empty kitchen. "Good morning, Ferb." Dad greeted in his cheerful, British accent.

"Morning," I said back, not really looking up from my blank stare into the mug.

He walked by me, shuffling his feet. A good indication that he had just gotten out of bed.

I felt his hand atop my head, and then he ruffled my hair playfully. "You're up early, aren't you?"

"Ah!" I ducked from under his hand. "Dad, I just combed my hair!" I laughed and smoothed it back down as best I could.

He chuckled as well. "Really? It looks about the same as it always does."

I rolled my eyes as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"So, why so early on a Saturday?"

"Hmm?" I wasn't exactly listening, only mindlessly staring off into space. That seemed to something I did more often as I got older, according to Phineas.

"Oh. Well, I had gone to bed at about nine last night."

He poured a bit of sugar into his cup. "Well, what about your brother?"

"He's still upstairs asleep."

"Ah, so is your mum."

I heard the noise of a spoon clicking against glass, then his feet shuffling on the floor again.

He took the chair on the other edge of the table next me. Only then did I get an eyeful of how tired he was: his hair was in a tangled mess (much like mine), he had dark circles under his jade eyes, and his night clothes hung loosely off his small frame.

He yawned again before taking a large sip from his mug.

We sat in an accustomed silence, something we were both used to and had done for as long as I can remember. I rested my head in my fist, letting my thoughts drift in and out of random things. Dad had a look upon his face that hinted at his attempt to strike up a conversation. It didn't take long for him to come up with something.

"So," Dad began. I looked in his direction; my face was a good mixture of tiredness, curiosity, and boredom. "We haven't really talked much since I was given that promotion."

"No, we haven't." It had been about a month ago. He had received a large raise and was moved up to vice president of the Danville software company: ANTRAM.

I wasn't really sure what that stood for, but it sounded like a name for a major software company. It was a great job, for he brought in about eight-thousand dollars a month.

"How is everything? You're grades, how are they?" he inquired before taking another sip.

"I'm pretty sure I have an A in everything…"I swirled my mug a little, making some of the substance slosh against the sides." But I may have a B in Latin,"

Dad chuckled. "Don't worry too much about that," He leaned back in his chair, eyeing me reassuringly. "A B isn't going to stop you from getting into the college of you're choice."

"I guess not." I agreed. After taking another sip, I noticed my cup was empty; so I pushed it a few feet in front of me and folded my arms on top of the table.

"And what about your social life?"

I flinched. Dad had found the one thing I didn't necessarily want to talk about. Honestly, could he not realize that I _didn't_ _have _a social life?

Of course, it wasn't that I was disliked by everyone. It was that I chose not to be involved with anyone from school. They were all just too outgoing.

I hoped he knew that before we went into greater detail of the subject.

"It's…about the same as usual."

"The other students are treating you right, aren't they?"

I coughed awkwardly. "That depends on what you mean by 'right'?"

He was bent forward in a heartbeat, his fists curled into tight balls and his face twisted into serious concern.

"Do they ever bother you?" he asked in an icy tone that made me almost want to laugh. He hardly ever sounded mad.

"No, no. At least…I don't think they mean it." He looked confused. "Well, I mean, the only thing they do that bothers me is ask me to do things on weekends."

After a few seconds of his stare, he slowly began to look more relaxed and the distressed look melted from his face.

"But they don't hurt you."

I shook my head, even though what he said wasn't a question. "No, not at all."

He sighed; I could tell he was still tired.

"Dad?" I began.

I wanted to kick myself after hearing the unease in my tone. Luckily, he didn't notice. Only did he tilt his head in my direction, keeping his eyes focused upon something I didn't bother search for.

"I was just wondering, could you give me some advice?"

His eyes flickered quickly to meet mine. "Isn't that my job?"

I vaguely shook my head. I wasn't really in the mood for sarcasm. "Seriously."

"Alright." He resumed the position he had been in a few moments ago: his elbows on the tabletop and both hands clutching the white coffee cup, which seemed to still be halfway full. "What's on you're mind?"

"How exactly do you get the attention of…" I trailed off. It was somewhat difficult to ask a question that I'd never considered asking before. I could feel my face turning multiple shades of pink.

After noticing I wasn't going to continue, Dad filled in the blanks. "Is it a girl?"

I looked in the opposite direction, but nodded.

"Well, all I can say is this: don't be shy. She won't bite you." He took a sup of coffee. "Unless she's a vampire."

"I highly doubt that, Dad." He smiled mischievously while I scoffed. "Honestly, you've been reading too much."

(A/N: It's a _Twilight_ reference.)

"Alright then," his left eyebrow cocked slightly. I mentally moaned, understanding exactly what he was about to ask me.

"So who is she?"

This time, I groaned out loud, which only made him laugh triumphantly. "You're going to make me explain every insignificant detail about her, aren't you?"

"Every one."

I sighed. Luckily, we had all morning for this conversation. At least, lucky for Dad.

"Fine. Then you ask the question and I'll answer it."

"Alright then," he set the mug down. "What color hair does she have?"

I was surprised that he had started off with a question so easy to answer. "Umm…a dark blond."  
"Ah…a blond, eh?" he chuckled. "What about her eye color."  
"Green." Although I wasn't a hundred percent sure; it had been a while since I'd gotten to look at them.  
"And how old is she?"

I though for a moment. "Well, she's in the same grade I am. I suppose she's around seventeen or eighteen." Nervously, I began to trace the rim of my empty cup with my pinkie finger. His questions were nowhere close to being finished.

"That's all I've got. Now you tell me what you know about her."

I looked up quickly. He beamed when he saw the surprised look spread across my face.

"W-well, I _do _know she's been going to school with me since we were freshmen."

He didn't say anything, so I kept going. "And she's actually really popular with everyone in school."

"So that's why you don't talk to her, is it? Because she travels with a pack?"

"Yes. That and I don't have any classes with her, I guess." I shrugged.

"Well, I only have one more question and I'll get off you're back." He told me, holding up his hand with the index finger extended to indicate the number one.

"Okay…"

"What's her name?"

For a moment I hesitated. I continued to tamper with the empty mug, only to prolong the answer.

"Carmen Alexander."

The table shook a bit; he had obviously jumped from my answer, exactly what I was scared would happen.

"The daughter of Roger Alexander!?"  
"Uh…I-I guess so." I stuttered as his eyes grew wide with disbelief. "How do you know them?"

"Ferb, Mr. Alexander is my boss. Did I never tell you that?" he asked while shaking his head wildly.

"No. I would have remembered if you had."

"They're _very _rich people, you know." he explained. Before I had a chance to say something else, he had taken up his supposedly empty cup and rose from his chair. "He's the man who assigned me to vice president at ANTRAM."

"Is he a good boss?" I asked him as he made his way to the sink to wash his glass.  
"One of the best I've ever worked for."

The faucet came on and within seconds the vibration ceased. My hopes soured that he wouldn't ask me any more questions about Carmen.

Fortunately, my silent prayers were answered when I heard Phineas fumbling down the stairs.

He was in the kitchen in seconds, skidding to a halt in the doorway. For someone who had probably woken up only a few moments ago, he sure had energy to burn off.

"Morning, Dad!" he cheerfully greeted. He sounded way too robust for someone who only got six hours of sleep each night. I loathed him for that up-and-going trait.

Dad nodded to him, not taking his eyes off the dirty dishes. "Good morning, Phin. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, pretty good." He beamed before slowly making his way up behind me. He ran his hands quickly through my hair, making me slightly jump.

"Wow, Ferb! I totally dig you're bed-head!" He tousled my hair roughly, laughing as he did so.

Annoyed, I slung my hand over my head in an attempt to smack his hands, though only managed to slap myself in the head.

He giggled quickly as I cursed under my breath. "You and Dad really find this humorous, don't you?"

Phineas took the empty chair where Dad had been sitting. "Are you kidding? It gets funnier every morning!"

I ignored him and flattened my hair back a second time.

"So, Ferb. I know what we can do today!" He nudged me playfully in the arm as I shook the remainder of my coffee into my mouth.

"And what would that be?"

"Why don't we go to the mall? I can drive down there and you can hold on for dear life like you always do."

He wasn't joking. I really did get incredibly nervous when he drove, especially when it was _my _car! And the sad thing was, he was a better driver than I was by a mile, according to Candace.

"And what's at the mall?" I asked him. There didn't seem to be much enthusiasm in my voice. Hopefully that would pass off to him as exhaustion.

"Well, what else do you have planned for today?" I could sense the humor in his voice; he was obviously making fun of the fact that I had absolutely nothing to do with my weekends other than studying and sleeping.

"You know the answer to that question."

"So it's settled?"

I moaned. For some reason, I was always the first to cave in this house. "I suppose so."

A wide grin spread across his face. "Alright then!" He sprung off to the door to retrieve our coats and the keys.

"You're not going to have a panic attack while he drives, are you son?" Dad chortled.

"I hope not. But just in case I do, tell Mom I love her." I pleaded sarcastically, twisting my face into a sad pout. He only shook his head with another laugh.

Soon, Phineas was back in the room with our coats; he tossed mine to me as he slipped his on quickly.

"Have you got you're phone?" Dad called as we made our way to the door. I patted my coat pocket after pulling it on hastily, feeling the bulge of my cell phone. Phineas did the same.

"Check!" he exclaimed with a thumbs-up.

"Try and be back before noon. You're mother might not like you staying out too late."

"Sure thing, Dad." Phineas opened the wooden door, releasing a gust of freezing wind into our warm home. I dreaded going out into that weather.

Before giving me a chance to catch my breath in the cold atmosphere, Phineas grabbed my coat sleeve and tugging me along behind him to my car.

It was going to be a long day.

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**Happy Turkey Day! I'm thankful for having chapter three finished! And candied yams, how I love candied yams...-drools-**

**You can totally tell that Ferb has a boring life, the way he has flashbacks by almost everything he looks at and hears! XD**

**Hopefully, the upcoming chapters will add a little excitement to his lifestyle. **

**Oh, and also, the Twilight reference was for a friend. Only because I knew she'd totally freak out when/if she read this.**

**-waves- Hi, Kayla!**

**Well, you know the drill: review or a kitten dies…I'm serious.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the wait. I finally got **_**New Moon **_**and I wanted to finish it before I turned 16. Unfortunately, I didn't really plan things out too well…**

**And because of the length of this chapter…**

**I don't know how to scale things down. If you knew me personally you'd understand.**

**Well, enjoy!**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 4**_

--

_Lili's POV_

The house was about the same temperature it always was during this time of year: an unbearable fifty degrees Fahrenheit!

I had to pull my maroon jacket tighter around my body to keep from shivering. It seemed that everywhere I went these days I was freezing.

Wow, I sure sound like a middle aged housewife…

My grandmother and dad sat across the oak table from me, both clutching a cup of coffee and reading separate pages of the morning paper.

Grandma Anna, a petite woman, was about the same size as I was. She stood five feet and six inches tall, weighed in at about a hundred and two pounds, and had as many wrinkles as grey hairs. She had to be in her late eighties.

However, you would never be able to tell by looking at her; some people mistook her for a woman in her early fifties, which flattered her every time.

She licked her thin thumb and turned the page of her newspaper before taking a small sip of her coffee.

Dad, Anna's only child, was a lot like his mother…in spirit. The two of them were quiet, somewhat loners, and sweet (very sweet) people. Dad was a medium built man who could probably carry things two times his weight, which because of his job was something he had to do most of the time. He had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes.

Grandma said I took after him much more than my own mother. Mostly because of our long, thin noses and curly hair.

I pushed aside the plate of pop-tarts in front of me, which were untouched. My phone ringing in my pocket was enough of an excuse to stop me from residing in this ridiculous silence.  
I pulled the small device from my pants pocket and flipped it open to see that I had received a message from my best friend. Or, actually, one of my _only_ friends.

_I'm goin 2 the mall. C if you can meet me up there at 9am! :D_

_Andy_

Andréa Nelms. Once again, she was asking me to spend every waking moment of my Saturday with her at the Googolplex mall. Luckily, it was only about a ten minute walk from my house.

"Lilian," my father began in his deep voice, calling me by my full name. I closed my phone and looked up at him. "If that's Andréa, you know the rules. Right?"

I shook my head "yes", a slight bit aggravated. "I finished my homework last night, Dad. Before you or Grandma even got back from the bank."

He peered at me from over the paper. "Oh…well, then don't stay out too long." Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the paper.

I got up from my seat and made my way into the living room (except it wasn't really a room. It was just a divided area of the kitchen with a couch and a small television set.)

Quickly, I grabbed up my purse and scarf. It was swung around my neck in seconds, and then I was back in the kitchen area before Dad even had a chance to turn the page he was reading, which I then noticed was the funnies.

Before I even had a chance to open the flimsy screen door to our house, Grandma spoke up. "Lili, dear, could you hand me my purse on the counter?" she asked me in a tone barely above a whisper.

I speed across the room to the counter tops and picked up her large black purse. It was really heavy, like most old women's purses were.

Heaving it across the floor was a bit of a challenge; it felt like it was maybe forty pounds heavier than I was.

With ease, I laid it in her frail lap and she soon began to dig through its contents.

Before she even got her hands on what she was looking for, I knew what she intended to do.

"Grandma!" I shrieked. She didn't even look up at me. "You already gave me my allowance yesterday! I don't need any more money."

She held her hand up to me, letting me know to keep quiet. A few seconds later, she had her wallet in hand and opened it up, revealing a large amount of green.

In she reached and pulled out, to my surprise, a fifty dollar bill!

"This is just for emergencies now." she warned me, yet winked when she noticed Dad looking at what she was handing me.

"Mom!" His tone was the same as mine had been. "She's eighteen! What makes you think she'll let that money sit in her pocket that long!?"

Grandma giggled. "I don't." She took my hand in hers and forced my fingers around the bill. "Now go have fun. I've seen you're report car; you deserve it."

I hesitated; part of me hoped she was joking with me and would put the money away. But, of course, the _real_ teenager in me wanted to yank my hand from hers and run off to the mall shrieking like a four year old child.

Instead, I smiled at her sweetly. She unwound her hand from mine and returned the hug that I happily gave to her.

"Thanks, Grandma!" I chirped. Then, for a second time, I bolted for the screen door.

It swung forward, the metal springs creaked, then slammed shut against the cheap plywood of our home.

Before taking off down the road for the mall just a few miles from my home, I waited on the porch. I was definitely out of sight from Grandma and Dad through the screen door.

"Mom, I swear! You spoil that girl!" Dad scoffed; papers ruffled in his hands as he spoke. "You've spent thousands putting her through that private school. Don't you think you ought to lay off a bit?"

Grandma didn't seem to bat a lash at his question. Her pause made me conclude that she was either taking a drink or thinking up a rational answer.

"What else am I suppose to do with all the money I've saved in the bank? Someone with her smarts shouldn't be in those regular schools. She should be getting a much higher education.

"Besides, do you want her to wind up living the life you decided would be best for you?"

Dad didn't answer straight away, so I waited as patiently as I could for his response.

"You're not about to bring up what I think you are, Mom…"

"Yes, I am. Where exactly did Pamela take off to last week, and why isn't she back yet?"

Grandma, of course, had brought up the subject once again about my 'soon-to-be' stepmother, Pamela Jonathan.

She and my father had been dating for a number of years now. And it felt like every other week she was storming out the door, screaming at Dad every word of profanity know to mankind, then driving away in her beat up, crimson pickup truck.

However, she was always the one to come crawling back here, begging Dad to take her back. The stupid thing for him to do was to _actually do it_! Sometimes I even wondered if he considered the two of them broken up when she did become angry and left.

I rested against the side of the house. She and I never really saw eye-to-eye. None the less, we hardly even talked. I didn't really pay much attention to her at all. All I really knew about her was her name and that she and my father were dating.

"I'm not too sure where she's run off to this time. I'm not even sure when…or _if _she'll be back." Dad sighed.

"From the sound of things, it seems like you don't even care if she comes back or not." Grandma plugged in.

"Honestly, I _don't_. If she never comes back, I'm sure Lilian and I will be better off."

I bowed my head at my fathers' words. He had never said anything like that before.

It wasn't clear to me why Dad didn't just tell her to leave so we wouldn't have to go through the same charade repeatedly.

Without thinking, I slowly made my way down the stairs and to the end of the driveway. Apparently, my dad and Grandma had no idea I heard the entire conversation.

When I was a good few feet down the street, I looked back at my old home. It was a good thing we lived in the ghetto area of Danville, or else our home would really stand out.

After taking in the disgusting green color, the pealing paint, broken windows, and abnormally high bladed grass in our front lawn, I started off a third time to the Googolplex mall, kicking a small stone along the way.

--

_Phineas' POV_

The ride to the mall was quick and easy.

At least, for me it was. Ferb seemed to be unbearable tense the entire ride. He held on to the side door handle so hard his knuckles began to turn white. And every time I came to a stop sign, I could hear his foot stomping on his side of the car.

He still hasn't come to realize there wasn't a break over there.

We walked around the upper floor of the mall first. Mainly so I could stop by the food court and grab a soda.

I supped at the cola while Ferb walked along behind me, seemingly dragging his feet.

"Are you tired or something?" I asked him, whipping a stray drop of liquid from the corner of my mouth.

"No," he sighed. "I'm just bored."

It didn't really surprise me. Ferb usually wasn't very amused when we came to public places. He normally did the same thing as always: shove his hands in his pockets, stare down at his feet as he walked, and dilly-dallied along behind me, sometimes stopping at a few store windows while I walked off unknowingly in front of him.

"Well, what do you wanna do?" I asked.

He looked up from his stare, eyes almost directly ahead of us, yet he had a serious look etched into his face.

"How far have you and Isabella gotten along?"

My neck almost popped from the speed as I whipped my head in his direction. "What!?"

Ferb laughed. "No! That's nothing like what I mean!" His chuckles made me turn red.

"What exactly do you want to know?" I probed with any icy tone in my voice.

Still chuckling, he shook his head. "Don't worry, I don't need to know any details. Just…well, how have things been?"

"You're usually with us whenever she's over. It's almost like she's dating _both _of us." I told him, holding back a burp.

"Does that bother you?"

He didn't even look at me when he asked me that. I panicked, thinking I'd upset him.

"O-of course not! I'm just, you know, saying."  
"Yeah," he laughed again, "I know."

Whew, guess not.

It wasn't until about that moment I heard a faint giggling behind me. I slowly turned my head, while continuing to walk, to see behind me.

Ferb moved ahead of me as I slowed my pace. Behind me was what looked like about eight girls, all _very _good looking, too.

My eyebrow rose as they shushed one another and laughed, then awkwardly turned to catch back up with my brother.

"What's wrong?" He asked me as I scurried next to him. His face bore a confused look as well.

"Umm…there's a big group of girls walking behind us." I told him while motioning behind us with a jerk of my thumb.

He hesitated before turning to look. When he did, his face went entirely pale and eyes widened.

Quickly he whipped back and picked up speed.

"What!? What is it!" I practically had to run to catch up with him.  
Instead of answering, he shook his head slightly. I finally managed to get at his side after a few seconds; his long, slim legs obviously served him better than mine did for me.

"So, you didn't answer," Ferb told me. He still seemed more focused on the girls behind us than on our discussion.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I guess things really haven't changed all that much from back when we were kids. The only difference is we're more comfortable around one another."

"And you aren't as clueless?"

I shot a confused look at him. "What do ya mean 'clueless?'"

Ferb scoffed, "Oh! Do you not remember when that comet came when we were kids? She slipped up and thought the two of you would have grandchildren. And when she asked you to the dance? Honestly, Phineas! You didn't see that she liked you back then?"

I became confused again. "Wait! You weren't there when she said that to me. How do you know about that?"

"I have my resources." he shot back, after a small pause.

I shoved my free hand into my pocket and took a large swig of soda. This time, I didn't bother to restrain the burp that formed in my throat.

Ferb shot me a disgusted look, but I ignored it.

"I was an ignorant kid. You can't really blame me all that much." I told him.

"Well, I don't know about _ignorant…_"

"Then what would you call it?"  
He hesitated, then laughed. "Stupidity?"

I gave him a playful punch in the shoulder, smiling as I did so.

We didn't get very far when I heard the sounds of giggling and whispers once again.

This time, before I even had the chance to turn around and see if it was the same people, the sound of high heeled shoes clonking against the marble floor echoed loudly.

It was almost a complete blur, but I clearly saw I girl about my age wisp by me. She was really fast for someone wearing high heels.

She sped towards Ferb, catching me totally by surprise.

Before I even had a chance to warn him, she swung her arms around his waist with a grin from ear to ear.

Ferb's arms shot up to his side; he stiffened. He was obviously caught off guard as bad as I was. He didn't even try to pry her away or push her aside.

I tried my best not to laugh at the predicament the girl had put him in.

The girl tightened her grip around his waist, making him grunt. "Hey, cutie!" She gushed playfully.

Then, as quickly as she had ran to him, she disappeared to the left of us. Her jet-black hair flowed beautifully behind her as she vanished into American Eagle, where her friends all stood waiting for her.

Ferb stayed in the same position as before from when she was locked around his waist.

I walked around to get a good look at his face, which made me burst out laughing! He had turned as pale as when he first saw the group and his teeth were gritted tightly together.

As soon as I had managed to get a grip on my hysterics, I nudged him. "It's alright, man. They're gone!"

He inhaled sharply, then put his scrawny arms to his side, pulling his coat and black sweater down as far as it could possibly go.

"That was…disturbing."

I snorted again. "Yeah, but I kinda feel sorry for her. She obviously doesn't have good taste!" I teased him.

He rolled his eyes and began walking again, much faster than he had before.

Without much regard to him, I sucked down the remainder of soda in the bottom of my cup, then tossed it into the nearest garbage can. It fumbled around the edges before slipping into the middle hole and falling in with the other rubbish.

Before straining myself to catch up with Ferb, I looked back towards where the black haired young woman had disappeared.

When I rounded the corner of the mall, I could have sworn seeing another girl slipping her a twenty dollar bill.

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

…**Huh.**

**That was a very interesting trip to the mall. O.O**

**I'm, umm, going to start working on chapter 5 right now.**

…

**Oh, yeah. And a friend of mine wanted a shout-out. So, here goes!**

**-inhales- HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!XD -cough-**

**Okay then! See ya around! **

**(And don't forget about the kittens.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm listening to Panic! At the Disco!=D**

**WOO!!!XD**

**Here's chapter 5! DO THE HEADBANG!!!**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 5**_

--

_Ferb's POV_

It didn't take long for my brother and I to walk around the entire mall. We hardly made any stops, minus some music and shoe stores. Phineas said he wanted to get something for Isabella.

I was relieved that we hadn't seen those strange girls again. I didn't even have to look to know that every one of them went to my school.

We rounded another corner, once again winding up in the food court. The mall wasn't very full, in fact, there only seemed to be about six people in the court.

Phineas was still laughing about the entire experience from before, so he didn't seem to notice the people waving us down at the other side of the large room.

"Hey, Phineas! Ferb!" a tall, dark skinned boy called from a table, inhabited by a couple of other familiar faces.

"Ah! Hey, it's Baljeet!" Phineas announced, waving back to him.

I followed him to where the three acquaintances sat, each of their faces coming into better view as I did so.

Phineas beat me there by a long shot, but then again, he was practically running towards them. I walked slowly with my hands shoved in my pockets.

"Hey, guys! What are you doing here?" Phineas asked as he gave Baljeet a high five. I noticed immediately who the other two boys were: Django Brown and Buford Von Stom.

Baljeet remained the same color as before: a dark brown with chocolate eyes. His hair, unlike when he was younger, was long, curly and hung over his eyes. Every few moments he would swipe the strands out of his face and behind his large ear. The two of us were even the same height now, about five foot six.

Unlike in the past, he dressed much more…interesting now. He had a couple of pierces in his left ear, and one in his right; all the rings were silver. The shirt he wore was sleeveless and camouflage, with a dark blue vest pulled over it. Along with that were baggy pants that came down to his knees. A dark green color.

Despite the bad boy air he put off from his look, he held the same personality as before. He remained sweet, polite, passive aggressive, and smart.

Sometimes I wondered why he didn't go to a private school along with me.

"We were out shopping, if you know what I mean." Django laughed. I wrinkled my nose at him.

"You can't mean what I think you do…" I asked him shaking my head. He chuckled again. His coffee colored hair swung along with this movement.

He hardly changed at all over the past seven years. Still as playful and sarcastic as ever.

"You know it! We still gotta get Baljeet set up!" he explained, nodding over to the blushing boy.

"I'm not coming to the mall just to look at girls!" yelled Baljeet, pounding his fist upon the table. "That's disgusting and perverted!"

"But," Buford, who sat across the table from Baljeet with his hands behind his head and leaning dangerously back in his chair, began. "It seems to work. A lot actually. How do you think Phineas here got hooked up with Isabella?"

"Because I asked her out, Buford."

"Sure you did…" he laughed as Phineas grunted and crossed his arms. It wasn't long ago he decided there wasn't really any significant meaning behind the nickname 'Dinner Bell', and he began to call Phineas by his real name.

It did seem to make things easier.

The difference between Buford now and in the past would had to be his hair, appearance and tolerance lever.

Now, his brown hair had a few highlights of blond for a reason I didn't understand. Whenever someone asked him if he did them himself, he shot back immediately that they grew that color on their own.

He weighed about the same as he did when I was ten, but he had also gotten much taller. Now, he looked lean and buff. It was a good thing he never beat up on people anymore, otherwise they would loose terribly.

"Dig the look there, Ferb?" Django lifted himself up onto the side of the table. He sat there nonchalantly with his legs swinging in and out from under the table.

"Jealous?" I put my hands on my hips and shot him a dramatic look.

He snorted. "Oh, yeah! It's not every day you see a teenage boy wearing a girl's sweater."

I could feel my eyes grow wide. I quickly pulled my jacket tight around myself and backed into a chair.

"Sh-shut up! All the men's were too big!" I nervously explained as the four of them laughed.

"That certainly makes you look curvy." Buford said. He leaned back in his chair so far, it creaked loudly. "Hey, Baljeet."

The Indian boy looked over at the bigger one. His rings glistened as his head moved.

"You should get Ferb here to get you a girl. He probably rakes in about twenty chicks a month."

I looked away from him, though could feel his eyes boring into the side of my skull.

Really, did we have to get off on this topic _again _today?

"Yeah, Buford's right! Ferb, how many girl's from your school are single?" Django asked me. His voice was squeaky with excitement, abnormal for someone his age.

Ignoring them, I kept my gaze towards the opposite direction of the group.

"And before you answer: how many of them are _good looking_?" asked Buford as he drowned out Baljeet's enraged complaints.

I didn't answer. They all seemed very silent; obviously waiting for my response. After a number of seconds, Phineas shook my shoulder.

"Ferb? What's up?" The tone of his voice sounded more amused than concerned.

I shot up from my chair. So quickly, Phineas stumbled backwards and the other three jumped. "Nothings wrong. There are lots of girls at my school. And, yes, many of them are single."

They all stared at me puzzled as I shoved my hands in my pants pockets and jerked my head in the opposite direction. "Maybe they're not all pretty in personality, but they are in appearance…unfortunately."

I turned on my heals and started off towards the exit of the court.

Before I even got a few steps away, I heard someone sprint to my side. Looking to my left, I saw it was Baljeet.

"Everything all right, Ferb?"

I absorbed his expression: confused and worried. But why?

"Umm…no. I mean, yes! Fine." I gently shrugged off the hand he had placed on my shoulder. "I just think I'll round the mall a few more times."

"We didn't offend you, did we?" Phineas asked me.

"No, nothing like that. I just don't really feel like talking about girls…is all."

For a second time, I turned and headed for the exit, faster than before. I could here Phineas calling me from behind, but I ignored him as best I could and escaped just before the conversation turned to something ugly.

--

_Lili's POV_

"So, wait a minute! You're telling me she left _again_, but your dad couldn't care less this time!?"

Andy yelled so loud, practically all the people in the store we currently resided in turned to look in our direction. They all had annoyed and freaked out expressions.

"Yeah, but can you blame Dad?" I asked her while picking up a small skirt. As soon as I had gotten to the mall, she pulled me into a tight hug and grabbed me by the hand, yanked me to the nearest store.

Apparently my lack of enthusiasm led her to believe something was up at home, so she didn't hesitate to ask what.

"In all honesty, Lili, I think she should stick around. For your Dads sake!" she told me, shaking her head and leaning against a rack of pants. "He always seems so…well, _lonely_! And you can't expect your grandmother to live with you two forever."

I sighed. My hands combed through a large rack of clearance clothing. I wasn't intending to spend all the money Grandma gave me in one day.

"You've only met my Dad a couple of times. What makes you so sure he's lonely?"  
Andy scoffed. "Well, you and he are practically the same person! You can't stand being alone either. Why do you think we hang out all the time?"

I shot her a dirty look and my lips pursed together tightly. "Because you always call!"

She laughed as I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but for a number of reasons. One of them being you're a fun person to be around."

With a confused look, I turned to look at her. The tone of voice she held didn't sound very truthful. "There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

She blinked, then lifted her weight off of the racks. Apparently she didn't think I would catch the gap her words seemed to stray from.

"Umm…yeah. But it's not _bad _or anything."

I scratched the tip of my nose, turned back to the clothing and then began to search through them again. "Then what is it?"

A few seconds passed. "Okay. Well, don't take this personally or anything,"

I braced myself, just in case.

"But your life is really interesting. You _yourself_ are really interesting. You know?"  
My head shook "no"; she continued. "It's just, if I were in your shoes I would have probably turned out to be one of those emo kids who cut themselves, get bad grades, don't show up at school, and constantly complain about how my life is like Hell."

After selecting a nice pair of pants, I inspected them as nonchalantly as I possibly could.

"What exactly about me is so interesting to you?" I asked while checking the price tag, only to flinch and throw them back onto the hanger.

"Everything I guess. You've told me multiple times about your life at home, but every time you do, it's hardly ever complaining. More like you're just giving me news…"

"And?"

"I guess you're just amazing like that." she explained. "The only drama that's been in my life lately is my mom freaking out about my grades and slicing down my allowance."

I laughed, yet so did she. "Well, I'd gladly switch with you if it were that simple." I said after putting away the few pairs of pants and shirts I had pulled off the shelves and racks.

I waited for a moment, thinking to myself, as Andy turned and began searching through some shelves and such opposite of me.

Maybe I'd spend my money on something more entertaining.

"Hey, Andy?" I began, turning to her.

She didn't look up from her occupied search through some graphic tees. "Hmm?"

"I think I'll swing by the bookstore for a little while. Could you meet me there in about, oh, ten minutes?"

Then she looked up at me. "Sure. What makes you wanna go there so bad?"

"I just think I'll find something interesting to read for when Pamela comes back and she and Dad get into it again."

I heard her snicker a little. "Need something to tune them out, do you?"

"Exactly." I turned and headed toward the exit of the store. The bookstore wasn't really that far away; maybe just six stores down from where I was now.

But, knowing Andréa, she'd stay and look at clothes all day given the chance.

As quickly as I could, I made my way to the discount bookstore. There weren't many people at the mall today. Actually, almost everyone I saw seemed to be someone I knew from school.

Though none of them recognized or waved hello to me. It didn't bother me.

Before I'd even got the chance to get into a deep conversation with my inner thoughts and psyche, I had arrived at my destination.

The bookstore was one of my favorite places in the mall, but I didn't really go inside it all that much. That only proved how attached Andy and I were when we came here together.

My first stop inside was the used section, where most of the books were five dollars at the most. I'd been told many, MANY times I was a cheap person.

Usually the people who told me that were the ones begging for money.

One book caught my eye almost instantly: a dark black cover, a red stripe running across the top from front to back, and beautiful font on the spine and cover. The book was slanted, so I couldn't read the title. I reached out to grab hold of it, only to have another hand bump into mine.

It was a pale hand, smooth, and warm. I looked up quickly only to meet with Ferb Fletcher's eyes.

My hand involuntarily drew back quickly. I could feel my face turning red.

"Oh! Ferb!?"  
He observed me with his beautiful emerald eyes. "Lili," he began in his sweet accent. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah," I tried my best to keep my attention on his face, yet failed miserably and looked back at the book on the shelf. "I came here with Andy Nelms. What are you doing here?"

I could see him shrug from the corner of my mind. "My brother dragged me along with him. Apparently, he has money that's burning a hole in his pocket." he said sarcastically, smiling.

"Heh, Andy's the same way."

He shuffled his feet, seemingly nervous for a reason I didn't understand. I drew my attention back to the book, reaching out with the hand I didn't have shoved in my coat pocket and snatching it up.

"Did you want this?" I asked him, slightly holding it towards him.

His eyes darted towards mine. He looked about as distracted as I was. "Oh, no! I've already read it."

I held the book up to my face to inspect it. "You've read this whole thing? Is it any good?"

"Yes," Ferb answered quickly. He pulled both of his arms tightly around his chest, crossing his arms. "It takes a while to get absorbed into, but it's worth the wait."

I scanned the title while listening to his words:

_Eternal Abyss: This century's new Romeo and Juliet_

"It looks interesting." I turned it over in my hands for a moment. "What's it about."

"I'm sure it was written a few years ago, but it's not so bad. In the very first chapter it tells you about an Indian woman who commits suicide off of a Lover's Leap." he explained. His face became much more relaxed; possibly relieved that I had given him a reason to actually get off on a subject.

"Lover's Leap?" I tilted my head a little. "What's that?"

"They're really tall cliffs that people would dive off. Mainly because of love related reasons. There seems to be multiple leaps scattered all around the world."

I gasped slightly. "That's horrible! How could someone kill themselves like that!?"

Ferb shrugged. "People can do strange things in the heat of the moment…" His words drifted off. It was almost like he was thinking about something. Or _someone._

"So, what happens?" I asked him quickly, trying to gain his attention again.

His head snapped back in my direction. "Oh! Well, I shouldn't really give away the ending, but I will tell you, things don't end well."

"I wouldn't think so. If the girl kills herself, that would suck, wouldn't it?" I laughed.

He laughed as well. "Yes. I suppose so." His smile was gorgeous, as much as his eyes were.

"I guess I'll buy it then." I told him. I swiftly flipped the book over to look at the price tag.

Only two dollars. If Ferb hadn't been there, I'd assumed it wasn't any good by the reference of it's price.

Sort of like the Harry Potter series. After the seventh book came out, all the bookstores sold them for about thirty bucks each. That obviously, along with all those people rushing to buy it, made more people interested in the book.

I almost laughed thinking of all the money those places might have made in those past weeks.

"So, how has you're report came along?"

Ferb's voice almost made me jump. I looked up at him with skeptical speed. "Umm…well, I have an idea. But I haven't really gotten much work done." I nervously told him as I scratched my arm.

"Well, I wouldn't worry; it's only Saturday. What's you're story about?"

"Ah, no. You'll think it's dumb…" I could feel my face turning red.

"No, I won't. I promise!"

I sighed. I couldn't resist his buttery voice. "Okay. My original idea was an tragedy, but I figured that would be a little depressing. So Mr. Lamon suggested me to write a humorous story."

"And what are you're ideas?"

"Maybe just something with a few unrealistic characters. You know? Like those Halloween stories that have talking pum-"

I was cut off by the obnoxiously loud alarm in the front of the store. After the two of us jumped, we simultaneously turned our heads to see who had entered.

My breath hitched in my throat and heart sank when I saw who was standing a few yards away from us.

Carmen stood in the entrance, a smug look spread across her face, and a pink cell phone in her hands.

The outfit she wore in public was downright disgusting! Every boy who walked by her outside gawked at her with wide eyes and open mouths.

She sported a green and blue tank top which was littered in suggestive words and signs. Her skirt was about the length of an average woman's hand, an estimation of six inches long, with white frilly lace at the bottom that hung over her thin legs.

And her beautiful hair was pulled into a tight ponytail.

I looked to Ferb and realized I no longer held his attention. He was staring at Carmen like she had walked in shining like a second sun.

"An-anyway," His eyes flickered to mine, lingering there for a few seconds, only to pull back into Carmen's aura. "It's probably not going to be the best work in the class, but…"

I didn't bother continuing. He wasn't even looking at me anymore.

"Ferb?"

For a second time, he looked back to me. Only this time, he didn't right away; his head slightly inched in my direction, keeping his eyes locked on Carmen as she moved to the back of the store.

"I'm…I'm sorry Lili, but could I talk to you some other time?"

The words caught me off guard. It took everything I had to keep from gasping or taking a step back. I gathered myself as fast as I could before answering.

"Oh…Okay. I'll see you Monday?"

Ferb nodded. "Yes, Monday. I'll see you in seventh period."

I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to him before he shot to where Carmen disappeared a few seconds ago.

Bewildered and offended, I stared at him until he turned around a shelf. I did so for a while until I realized the book in my hands hadn't been purchased yet.

When I made it to the counter, Andy was by my side.

"Lili! Come on, we gotta go!" she exclaimed under her breath frantically.

"Hold on," I placed the book on the counter while the curly haired redhead got a bag. "Just let me pay for this book first."

She grunted, "All right! Just hurry!" She turned sharply on her heels and sashayed out of the store.

"That will be two eighteen." the woman told me, smiling sweetly. I prayed she hadn't just witnessed my humiliating rejection.

I dug through my purse and pulled out the money. She handed me my change and wished me a good day before I made my way out as rapidly as Andy had.

At first I'd thought she'd left, for she wasn't anywhere in sight. But that thought didn't last very long. Almost like she had come out of nowhere, she grabbed me by my arm and yanked me into a deserted hallway.

It was at this time I was grateful Andy didn't grow out her nails to ridiculously long lengths like many other girls our age did.

"Oh, my God! Do you have any idea what you just did!?" she shrieked at me while I rubbed my soar arm.

"What…what? Hey, wait! What's so important that we had to leave?"

She shook her head in a frustrated way. "I saw you in there! I know what just happened! You, my friend, are the luckiest girl in America today!" Her voice went into such a shrill and happy tone, my eyebrow rose.

"What!?"

"You talked to Ferb Fletcher! And he actually talked back!"

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**See! I learn things on trips to various places! I'm talking about that 'Lover's Leap' thing…**

**By the way, there's been some confusion that Pamela Johnson (Lili's future step-mom) is kin to Jeremy and Suzy Johnson. That's not true, so I've went back and changer her last name to 'Jonathan.' **

**Okay? Okay.**

**Also! Here's a shout out to, in my opinion, Engaging Nightmare's number one fan! **

**Thanks so much, Roy42! I hope you stick with me to the end! Your comments are much appreciated.=)**

**And one more thing: for those who you who comment/will comment, do you like my chapters better long or short?**

**Please let me know.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, the people have spoken, and long chapters seem to be the favorite! So, get ready for a mind-blowing in length chapter!XD**

**And that's all from me this time.**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 6**_

--

Ferb's POV

_What am I doing!? _

_She wouldn't want to talk to me!_

_Why am I here!? Why am I hiding!?_

So many questions swarmed through my head as I hid behind a shelf. Carmen stood an estimate of twenty feet away from me.

My eyes practically drilled into her back as she searched through the magazines in front of her, nonchalantly and slowly.

For some reason, as soon as I had gotten within earshot of her, I panicked and fled to a well hidden place. Hopefully she wouldn't be able to see me. But why didn't I want her to see me?

I mentally grunted. I was confusing myself over something this pathetic. After multiple years of going to school with her, why was I trying to talk to her _now_!?

Couldn't I have done this Friday, or any other day from last week? I placed my hand on my forehead, rubbing it as if it would help me make my decision.

After a few moments of that, I willed myself to push forward in her direction.

The words Dad told me that morning rang in my ears:

_"Well, all I can say is this: don't be shy. She won't bite you."_

Helpful, yet strange advice.

I managed to get about one foot ahead of where I previously stood. Not a very good start.

I took a deep (but quiet) breath, forced myself not to run back to my hiding place when she scratched the top of her head, and took small steps. The kind that babies usually take when they first begin to walk.

When I was about ten feet from her, my mind began to wander again.

_What if she turns around and sees me? She'll think I'm some sort of freak!_

_I should just leave right now! Right now!_

I took a tiny step forward.

_No, you idiot! Leave, turn around!_

My eye began to twitch. I was so focused on the voice inside my head and trying not to cause my feet to shuffle, I felt like I was going insane.

_What if Dad was right! What if she really does try and bite me!? _

_Gah! That's never going to happen, Ferb! Would you listen to yourself!_

That was it.

Without any second thoughts or actions, I quickly and quietly turned and made my way out of her eyesight, slapping myself in the face as I did so.

My hand made a loud 'POP' on my forehead. I regretted the at once after doing so.

"Ferb?"

I stopped. My hand was still on my face, eyes clenched together tightly, and mouth pressed into a ridiculously straight line.

Inner thoughts, I told myself. Those were just my inner thoughts trying to mess with me again.

I shook my head and got ready to take off and out of the store. However, a tapping on my shoulder convinced me to stay.

"Ferb Fletcher? Is that you!?"

Slowly I turned my head to meet with her eyes. Her beautiful green eyes…  
"Umm…mm-hmm." I answered by not even opening my mouth.

She nodded, smiling in a way that showed off her pearl-white teeth. Her eyes trialed off towards the top of my head.

"Is…is there something wrong with your face?" she asked me. Her delicate and thin finger pointed up to where her eyes rested.

I paused for a moment. Bewildered, my eyes slowly rose towards where my hand was. Before my face grew a hot red, I swiped it off my head and behind my back.

"Uh! N-no!" I stuttered. She giggled a little while I looked away as my face grew more noticeably scarlet.

"I didn't know you liked the mall. Actually, this is the first time I've ever seen you outside of school."

_And the first time you've ever spoken to me…_

I nervously rubbed my arm. "Y-yes, well." I coughed. "I…I came with my brother…" My voice was so quiet and jumpy, I could tell it was nothing over a mumble.

Her face twisted into a confused yet polite smile. "Sorry? What?" She leaned her head forward a little in an attempt to catch my words.

"I c-came with my brother!" That time, it was squeaky and rather loud. I wanted to kick myself; I must have looked like an idiot!

To my amazement, she laughed. It was smooth and buttery, just like her voice.

"So, how have things been for you?" Carmen asked. She brushed a few strands of glorious gold hair from her heart shaped face. I couldn't keep myself from gazing off into her jade irises.

I shrugged. It was getting difficult to make my eyes avoid hers.

The fine eyebrows that rested upon her face rose, and a slight 'hmm' echoed through the isle we stood in.

"Well, you like nice today. I've never seen you without the uniform on."

Directly after these words, I could feel a lump forming inside my throat.

She just complimented me!? I quickly swallowed it down.

My mind told me not to, but I burst out the first thing that came to my mind.

"So do you!"

_Dammit! What is wrong with you!? Do you WANT her to think you're a pervert!?_

Again, surprisingly, she put a finger to her chin and giggled. "Thanks. I got this outfit at PacSun."

"Ah, r-really?" I had absolutely no idea what store she was talking about. Relief from her laugh was still washing over me in large waves.

"Yeah, and it only cost about sixty bucks! That's pretty good seeing as they weren't on sale." she gushed to me in a bubbly tone. It made me break into a smile.

It became a bit awkward again after that. I scratched the top of my head, shoved the other into my pocket, and kept my head down as she pulled out her phone.

I hadn't even seen her shove it into her purse after she entered the store.

"Oh!" I quickly looked up at the sound. Carmen's face was surprised; eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "I have to get going! I was suppose to meet up with my friends over an hour ago!"

She ripped open her purse and slammed the phone inside. I flinched when I heard the familiar sound of plastic objects cracking against one another.

"I'm sorry, Ferb. It's been nice seeing you, but I have to go! Like, now!"

With a loud noise, her purse was zipped back up in seconds.

Then, catching me totally off guard, she threw her arms around my neck and pulled me close to her.

Unlike before with the unfamiliar schoolmate, I didn't flinch, go pale, or throw my hands away from her. I simply rooted my feet in place as all the blood rushed to my face. I had to fight with everything I had to not return the hug.

"I'll talk to you at school. See you."

She then pulled away, smiled, and waved to me with her delicate hand as she strolled out of the store.

I stared after her as she left my sight. My face was definitely still an embarrassing shade of red.

Without thinking or worrying about anyone being around at the moment, I burst out into a geeky chuckle. Immediately I clasped a hand over my mouth, attempting to smother my amusement and possible humiliation.

This continued for a number of moments, me freaking out over the simple hug of my lifelong crush, until my phone went off in my pocket.

I always kept my phone on vibrate, anywhere I went. It began to get annoying when you received a call and everyone turned to look at you.

My choice of music for a ring tone was obviously something to question.

The vibrating soon got annoying. I shoved my hand inside to retrieve it, frustrated by the fact that I couldn't bask in my moment.

It only took a second for me to answer it and shove it against the side of my head. When I spoke, my voice came out much more reflective of my emotions than I anticipated.

"What?" I huffed into the speaker.

"Hey, Ferb!" I recognized Phineas' voice instantly. He sounded energized. Maybe he had gotten a refill on that soda.

"I just got a call from Dad. He wants us home right now; he says he's got good news."

My eyebrow furrowed in confusion. "Didn't Dad say we could stay all day." Part of me was hoping I would get to see Carmen before I left. Just a glimpse of her would suffice me.

"Yeah, but apparently there's been a change of plans. I'll meet you at the fountain, the one where we came in."

"Allright." I didn't bother to wait for either one of us to say 'bye.' Every second wasted on the phone was one second gone from my search for _her_.

I practically shot from where I stood and ran into the hallway outside, nearly ramming into an older man.  
He threw me a disapproving look as I rolled my eyes in the opposite direction.

The entire walk I kept my head down, letting my hair hang in my eyes, and watched carefully for Carmen.

--

_Phineas' POV_

The car door to Ferb's red Toyota slammed shut and I stepped out onto the wet pavement. Apparently, it had been raining outside since we were in the mall.

I shuffled my feet atop the asphalt, bored, as I waited for Ferb to stumble out of the passenger side.

His face looked the same as always, pale. Yet his eyes glistened and a sly smile graced his lips.

He had worn that smile the entire way home, and since I met up with him in the mall to head home. Despite the number of times I asked him why he was smiling, he always gave me the same response:

"Ah, you wouldn't understand."

"You got your keys?" I asked him, outstretching my hand to take them and unlock the front door. Dad always left the door locked, even though we lived in a very safe neighborhood. I guess he was just paranoid in some ways.

Ferb nodded and dug through his back pockets. He then pulled out a small ring of keys: one for his car, the house, the garage, Mom and Dad's car, and a silver keychain that had the Chinese symbol 'tranquility' etched into the metal.

I took it and headed to the door, with Ferb some couple of feet behind me. Before ramming the keys into the door, I grasped hold of the doorknob and twisted it to make sure it wasn't locked first.

Strangely, the door nudged open after I turned the knob. It creaked slightly as it did so, giving off an eerie feeling.

"Is it unlocked?" Ferb asked, peering over my shoulder. I only nodded. "Well, that's odd."  
"Yeah. Maybe Dad forgot or something."

I opened the door and we made our way inside. After throwing him the keys, Ferb headed upstairs and soon disappeared into the ceiling, the small sounds of feet clomping along with it.

First, like every time I arrived home, I slipped off my Nike shoes and slung them next to the door along with my coat. I then made my way to the living room, yawning and stretching along the way.

It didn't take long to realize why exactly Dad had become a bit of a scatterbrain that day.

The moment my feet hit the carpet of our den, I was bombarded by a hug.

Mom's thick perfume of lilac and mist hang in the air along with her red hair in my face as she pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Phineas! Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" she blubbered as her arms drew tighter around my shoulders. She and I were practically the same height.

I waited, nearly suffocated, as she cried into my shoulder. My thoughts spiraled into dread when I realized that the _good news _had turned to something bad. Seemingly very bad.

With all my strength, but not enough to knock her down, I pushed out of Mom's hold and stumbled back a few feet.

"Wait! What's going on!?" I scanned the room for some clue for her strange behavior.

In the chair across the room, next to the couch, was Dad. He sipped a small glass of tea and had a thrilled glisten in his eyes.

He caught me staring at him and nodded to his left. I instantly looked to the couch, where he had motioned.

There on the couch, clothed in a scarlet sweater that held the same tone as her hair with pink strips, knee-length blue jeans and black slippers, was my older sister of twenty-three, Candace.

She rose from her seat and made her way across the room in almost an instant.

"Hello, Phineas." Her voice chimed in a gorgeous tone, the same one I hadn't heard in what felt like years.

I stood there for a few moments, taking in the fact that my sister was home.

"Candace?"

She laughed. Her white teeth flashed under the two burgundy lips. In one swift motion, I was in her arms, embracing her into a hug as tight as Mom's was before.

"What are you doing here!?" I asked her in an excited tone.

"What? I can't come and visit my family?" she teased, ruffling my hair playfully.

"No…it's not that. Just, well, I haven't seen you in _forever_!" I looked up into her deep blue eyes. "Where have you been!?"

She pulled away from the hug simultaneously with me, straitened up and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, being a singer and actor all at the same time is tough, you know?" she told us.

I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or bragging.

Then a big grin spread across her face. "And a few other things take up a girls time."

Dad looked up from his cup of tea with one brow rose and a disapproving look on his face. "Candace, dear, lets try and keep this PG."

Candace waved a hand over her head and sighed. "Alright, alright…"

Just as I had begun to laugh, Ferb entered through the opposite doorway from the hallway, stripped of his coat and shoes.

Mom surprised every one of us by squealing and throwing herself at Ferb the same way she had done with me.

Ferb's eyes got wide as she buried her face in his chest. I could almost tell from his eyes that he intended to say _Oh, come on. Again?_

He lifted his hand to pat her on the back, sporting a very nervous and bewildered grin. "Umm…hello, Mum." he soothed as he patted her back. He looked up to us. "Why is she crying?"

I shrugged as I noticed he was referring to me. The both of us then turned to Dad and Candace, who Ferb just then took notice of.

"Ah, Candace!" He struggled against Mom's hug, yet gave up with a huff after hopeless wiggles. "You look well. How have you been?"

"About the same, I suppose." she told him sweetly. "And you! You look like you haven't gained a pound since I last saw you." With a tilt of her head, she looked him up and down while doing her best to see past the woman clinging to him.

"Haven't Mom and Dad been feeding you?"

Ferb gave a small chuckle. "Oh, no. I tend to do that by myself these days."

This made Candace and Dad laugh as well, just as Mom pulled off of Ferb. She took hold of Ferb's hand and turned to the three of us, yanking him over to where we all stood.

"Candace, you have to tell Phineas and Ferb the news!" Mom sputtered. I noticed the streaks of mascara that ran down her wet face. At least they weren't tears of worry or sadness.

"Oh, right." Candace turned and went to sit back down on the couch. When she was situated, she patted the seat for the two of us to do so as well.

Ferb and I sat on both sides of her while Mom took a spot on the arm of the chair where Dad resided.

When we sat down, Perry, our nine year old platypus, waddled into the room and to Ferb's feet. He picked Perry up and plopped him on his lap as Candace began.

"Well, you both know that Jeremy and I have been staying in an apartment since the both of us graduated, right?" Both Ferb and I nodded. She beamed before beginning the story again. "Just the other day, he took me to this really nice French restaurant. He told me to order any type of wine I wanted, which was weird. We never order wine when we go out to dinner."

Mom and Dad both looked interested, unlike my brother and I. Ferb seemed to be more preoccupied with petting Perry, who purred happily and rubbed against Ferb's arm.

"After we ate, the waiter brought the bottle of wine. Jeremy poured me a glass," she paused and brought a hand to her chest. "And in the bottom there was a diamond ring."

She reached into her purse, which was sitting atop the coffee table in front of the couch, and retrieved a black velvet box. The exact kind used to hold jewelry at those expensive shops.

She opened it, revealing a beautiful gold ring with several sapphire stones set into the band and a white diamond that rested at the top. I guessed Jeremy picked the sapphire because they either matched her eyes or it was her favorite gem.

I knew for a fact it wasn't her birthstone.

"He asked me to marry him in front of the entire restaurant. It was so sweet…"

She held the ring up for us all to see, blushing a shade of red in the process.

"That's so romantic, honey!" Mom squeaked while chocking on another elated sob.

I waited a few moments, a question rattling my mind, but Candace didn't seem to answer it.

Before I had a chance to investigate, Ferb handled it for me.

"And what did you say?"

Candace, along with the rest of us, quickly turned to look at the him.

"What?"

"What did you say?" Ferb repeated. "Did you agree to marry him?"

The look of confusion melted from Candace's face, and was quickly replaced with a cheerful smile. "Of course I said yes! What did you think, I was showing off the ring for no reason?" she joked.

"Well, when's the wedding?" Dad asked after taking another sip of tea, which, from this close up, I noticed steam rising from.

"I'm not too sure yet, but we're both thinking it would be a good idea to have it on Valentines Day." explained Candace.

With another rapid jolt, Mom jumped from her seat, almost causing Dad to spill his beverage.

"Valentines Day!? But that's nearly four months away!" Her tone made me think of stepping on one of Perry's old squeaker toys. The ones he never played with that were lying around the house.

"Yeah," Candace began as she leaned back comfortably on the couch and crossed her arms. "But that's why I came today. Not just to spread the news but to ask you for a favor, Mom."

She looked up at our mother with large eyes, the same kind she used when she was fifteen and asking for money for the mall. I remembered those times well, even though I was only eight.

Mom waited patiently for Candace to continue.

"I was hoping you might help me plan the wedding. It would really help me out and Jeremy and I could come and visit every other weekend."

When Candace broke off, Mom merely stood there, not moving, as if she hadn't heard a word Candace had said. Then, for what felt like the hundredth time today, she screamed and ran to Candace. She locked a strong grip on Candace's hands and yanked her up to her feet, giggling in the process.

"Oh, Candace! I can't believe this is all happening!" she exclaimed and rubbed Candace's hands against her cheeks. "My baby's getting married and I get to plan the wedding!"

Candace roller her eyes, almost as if to say that Mom was only _helping _plan the wedding, but she said nothing and smiled along with her.

"God! This means we'll have to get started right now!" She began walking quickly towards the kitchen, dragging her daughter along behind her.

"We have to get you a dress, there's the catering, someone has to make your cake, you'll have to figure who'll be your flower girl, maid of honor, the invitations. Ah! And what will we do about Jeremy's best man…"

Mom began to trail off as she made her way up the stairs. Obviously about to go through all of her old wedding merchandise in her and Dad's bedroom.

I yawned and planted my cheek into my fist, resting my elbow on my knee. Ferb rested in the same position Candace had been in: leaned back against the back of the couch. Perry appeared to be asleep in his lap.

"You two tired?" Dad asked us. He sat his glass down on the table, apparently empty.

"Just a little." answered Ferb. "It was a very…_interesting_ day."

Dad got up from his chair after a short silence. He stretched a couple of times before saying, "Why don't you two head up to your room. I have a hunch this place will be full of wedding supplies soon."

I nodded and got to my feet. Right after I did, Ferb picked Perry up and placed him gently on the couch cushions, making sure not to wake the sleeping platypus. He then got up and we headed to and up the stairs.

We passed Candace and Mom, both coming down the stairs with large boxes in their hands.

Candace looked like she was regretting asking Mom to help plan the wedding already.

--

It was nearly midnight. Once again, it was pouring rain outside.

Ferb and I sat in Candace's room while she spent a few moments in the kitchen making popcorn. As soon as she came back, the three of us totally attacked it and flipped on a scary movie.

The only thing playing was The Amityville Horror, one that we'd all seen multiple times. Yet it still sent shivers down our spines, at least when we were paying attention it did.

Ferb sat on the floor at my feet while I sat on the top of Candace's bed, trying not to send some stuffed animals or pillows falling to the ground.

Everything in Candace's room was either a sickening pink or frilly white. The bed was just one thing: the curtains, carpet, walls, and everything else was also riddled in bright colors.

Scattered across the walls and ceiling were multiple posters of men I'd seen on T.V. a few times, mostly on the 'teenage girl' channels, and about fifty glow in the dark stars and planets that sparkled in the light.

The whole layout was disgusting in my view.

Candace settled in the beanbag chair next to Ferb (which was also pink,) threw a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth and turned to the two of us.

"So, what's new with you guys? Ferb? How's private school; what's it like?"

Ferb seemed more interested in the movie, but drew his eyes from the movie to look at Candace. He shrugged. "It's about the same as public school. Just less crowded, I suppose."

Her brow rose. "Well, have you gotten a _girlfriend _since the last time I visited?"  
The way she said 'girlfriend' obviously implied that she was talking about a specific person. Ferb had definitely told her something he hadn't me.

He shook his head. "No, not yet."

Without really going deeper into that specific topic, he grabbed a small piece of kernel, placed it on his thumb and flipped it in the air. It fell directly in his open mouth as I watched in awe. "Whoa! How did you do that!?"

He flexed his thumb. "Just a little thump, is all." He demonstrated with another piece, though caught this one in his fist and threw it in his mouth.

I tried multiple times, but stopped when I started making a mess.

"And what about you, Phineas? How's things with Isabella?"

I paled a little, yet pushed it back as best I could. What was the point of being embarrassed? She and Ferb were the first people I told when Isabella agreed to go out with me.

Wow, that was over a year ago…

"Ah, you know, about the same. The farthest we've gotten in our relationship is holding hands."

She looked like she was trying to hold back a giggle, but I ignored it by taking a handful of popcorn; a few pieces fell out of my hand and onto the floor.

"That's good for someone of your age. You don't want to take things too fast."

I scoffed. "Yeah, I guess."

We watched the movie for a little while as soon as the commercial ended. It had just gotten to the part where the little girl climbed to the top of the tallest pillar of the large home.

I shuddered. Heights and I hadn't gone together very well since the incident with the haunted house when I was younger.

(A/N: I know that was in another fan fiction here, but I can't specifically remember which one. I wasn't copying you though, sorry.)

Candace cleared her throat. "Umm…" She began so shakily, Ferb and I looked to her almost instantly.

"Not to seem nosey or anything, but…" she trailed off as a scarlet blush graced her cheeks.

"Just ask us, Candace." I told her "You make it sound like an awkward question."

She sighed. "It sort of is," I gave her an urged look, and she continued. "Have you two gotten…you know…_that far_?"

Ferb and I exchanged a confused glance. Then his eyes widened. "Oh! Umm…Didn't we just cover that?"

Candace's blush grew more noticeable and she shook her head. Her flame red hair swatted the side of her head. "No! No, that's not what I mean. Of course you two haven't done…_it_ yet!" Her face twisted a bit, almost as if she were fighting back the urge to say 'At least I hope you haven't.'

"I'm only asking if you've been given the chance. Have you?"

It slowly dawned on me what she was asking. I looked rapidly back from her to Ferb, not sure of what to say.

What were you suppose to say to something like that!? My first instinct was that she'd get our answers and run and tell Mom.

I pushed that thought from my mind almost immediately. First, she hadn't done that in years. Second, it was midnight. Mom was obviously asleep and could get pretty brutal when woken up early.

"So, you just wanna know if we've been asked by someone?" I finally said. Candace nodded.

Nervously, I scratched the top of my head. "Well, no. I guess not. It's like I said: Isabella and I don't really try and take things too fast."

"I think what she's asking is if anyone _other _than Isabella has asked you." explained Ferb.

I thought for another moment, taking a handful of popcorn.

"Honestly, no. The closest thing to what you're talking about is some girl in my class asking me out."

"Oh?" Candace took a sip from the bottle of water setting on the floor. She looked very interested now.

"Yeah. She asked me about a month ago, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I just told her I was already dating someone. She got all mad and stomped away after that." I found myself laughing a little at the end. It was rather funny, now that I though about it.

We turned our attention back to the television after hearing someone scream. It was just getting to the good part, where the family finally started getting hints that they made a bad choice for a home.

Me and Ferb eventually lost interest again. He began to focus more on placing my thumb correctly under my index finger.

"That kinda hurts." I told him.  
"But it works."

He placed a as small piece on my finger, and again, it went flying into the air and onto the carpet.

"Perhaps it's just your aim." he told me as he snorted.

I could hear the movie playing; they were once again talking. That's the only thing I didn't like about this show. Too much chatting, not enough horror!

"What about you, Ferb?"

Ferb looked and seemed as taken back as I was. He must have thought the conversation passed, but Candace definitely wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"W-what?"

"You know what I want to know. Don't make me repeat the question."

He neglected to answer, only sat there and picked at the carpet nervously.

"You really want me to tell you?"

Candace and I automatically shot upright. Neither of us expected him to say _that._ A simple 'no' would have caused this all to end.

"Yes, of course!" Candace squealed. She sounded just like Mom. "Come on! What's the story!?"

When Ferb turned back to her, she gave him a pleading sort of look. "You sound a little too excited." he told her, low pitched.

"You're my brother. I wanna know if you're being safe!"

Both me and Ferb exchanged disgusted look. She scoffed. "Oh, you know what I mean!"

He finally sighed, clearly about to give in to her begging. "Alright, fine. It was two years a--"

Candace interrupted him. "You were a sophomore when this happened!?" From her reaction, I thought she was going to have a stroke from shock. "Jesus, Ferb! If you're too young for that stuff now, don't you think you were WAY too young then!?"

I was about to fall off the bed laughing at this point, yet Ferb seemed like he was about to burst a vessel. "NO! At least let me finish!"

Candace and I gradually calmed down, and he continued.

"It was two years ago just after school. I was about to head to my car and a senior came to me and asked me to go to a party with her. "

"A senior? Wow…" Candace gawked.

"She told me it was a 'special' type of party and everyone who came had to have a date."

I couldn't stop myself. "Oooooh!" He shot me a vicious frown, and I immediately shut up.

"Anyway, I asked her what she meant by 'special' party and she told me. And she told me…"

"What did you say to her!?" Candace asked him. She was taking this story much more seriously than I was.

"I just told her I wasn't going to do those things until I was married." he explained.

Taking a more mature grip on myself, I spoke up. "You mean you're…a serious abstinent?"

Ferb looked at me, surprised. "Y-yeah. Aren't you?"

I shook my head, thinking a moment before doing so, but did. "Not if it's someone I'm sure about."

"You mean Isabella?" he asked me.

"Yeah, exactly. I mean, I'm not going to have sex at my age. That's just wrong. But maybe when I'm in my twenties. If _she's_ ready, that is."

Candace took another drink of water. "So, you're only willing to do it if she's willing?"

"That and if I'm older." I told her.

"Well, not to go against you or anything, Phineas. But, I have to say, I think Ferb has the right idea. You can't be sure that Isabella will still be with you when you're in your twenties."

I felt my heart jump at the thought. "But…we've know each other forever!"

"But that still doesn't mean the two of you wont meet someone else."

"Or hit a few bumpy roads." Ferb put in. I could feel my face grow red, though I wasn't so sure if it was from humiliation or annoyance.

"Ah! Whatever. I'll worry about it when that time gets here." I crossed my arms and fell back on the bed.

Candace and Ferb continued to talk while I watched The Amityville Horror. It wasn't that the conversation was uncomfortable, they were my siblings! I used to talk to them about stuff like this all the time when we hit _that subject _in school.

It was either that or conversate with Mom and Dad about it. I wanted to shudder at the though of that talk.

"Why did you decide on something like that?" she asked him.

Ferb didn't respond at once. He was obviously thinking through his words. "I think it just makes things easier. I'm not really planning on adding any drama in my life until I'm through college."

"Ah, I understand." Candace said. "I felt the same was before I went to college. Jeremy wanted me to move in with him right after high school. I guess it's a good thing I waited…"

Either the two of them decided to end the conversation and watch the movie, or I was about to fall asleep. I was getting tired, but they weren't finished.

"Do you think you'll be able to stay abstinent when there's a girl with you?"

Ferb chuckled. "It's not that hard. All it takes is self-control."

"And you don't intend to change that; not ever?" Candace asked. Her words sounded as if she wasn't trying to convince him otherwise, but convince herself that he was telling the truth.

The next thing Ferb said struck me.

"Yes, always. There's nothing in the world that would make me go against that."

That was the last thing I heard my brother say before I drifted off. I didn't know it then, but what he said would eventually be more meaningful in the future.

MUCH more meaningful…

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**"Oh my gosh! D= They talked about sex in this chapter!"  
Yes, they did. And if you can't take this kind of stuff, I strongly advise you to stop reading this fan fiction now. Because, according to my planning, it may get more suggestive. **

**Just let me know if you think I should bump this up to M.**

**Oh yeah! And I have a survey thingy. Kinda. Sorta. -cough-**

**What do you like specifically about Lili Parr, and about Carmen Alexander?**

**I need this so I can keep on track of their personality.**

**So, if you could tell me in a review, you'd be giving me a big hand.**

**Allright, I'm going to bed. Peace out!=)**

**(Meow.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Gah! Thank goodness we've finally gotten off of Saturday!**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 7**_

--

_Ferb's POV_

The days rolled by at a pace that felt like months.

Sunday drug by unbearably slow. It began with me waking up at nine in the morning, grunting, and burying my head in my pillow for another two hours. Candace had left to head back to her apartment that morning and promised us all that she would be back next weekend, bringing her future husband along with her.

The only time I decided to leave the house was when Mom sent me to pick up a few groceries. Other than that, I would lay on the couch while Phineas played video games.

Monday was just another school day, but a long one. Without really having to think about it, I whipped through all six of my classes. Creative Writing, however, required more of my attention.

The moment I walked in the classroom and sat at my desk, Lili greeted me with a cheerful smile.

Our teacher, Mr. Lamon, did something he never did before that day: he made us all stand in front of the class and read our narrative essays.

It wasn't so bad, after the giggling in the back of the room died down.

Lili told me how much she liked my story when I was back in my seat.

She seemed much more sweet and chatty than before, though it wasn't that I disliked it.

Tuesday was a pop quiz in third period, Advanced English. Luckily I've had prepositions memorized since the seventh grade. Otherwise, I would have failed along with half the class.

Phineas rushed in that day and let every breathing being in the house know he had practice on Thursday and a meet on Monday. I smiled and wished him luck, glad I wouldn't have to pick him up those days.

Wednesday was downright unbearable! The only excitement was when the alarm clock in our room didn't go off that morning. Though, I do admit, it was rather entertaining watching Phineas scramble to brush his teeth and get dressed at the same time.

During school, we had mostly substitutes for some unknown reason. So that meant bookwork in every class.

Even home was boring that day. Mom and Dad didn't get home for a while, which left me to defend the house and pick up Phineas.

Oh boy, fun.

At least the week was almost over.

I sighed and closed my Chemistry book. There were only a few minutes left in first period. I'd much rather finish up my assignment at home.

It had been too long ago when I last saw Carmen. Four long days…

My head swam with worry, annoyance, frustration, and a few other emotions I couldn't figure out.

Worry, mostly. She didn't strike me as the sickly type, but the autumn air did prove useful for sending out the flu.

I lowered my head and hoped she hadn't gotten sick.

The bell rang and I grabbed up my heavy books before heading to the door. I always sat in the back of the classrooms: it meant I was the first one out of the room and the teacher wouldn't bother talking to me, giving the other students (mostly the girls) a reason not to stare at me.

There was no way Carmen could have gotten sick so quickly. She had looked fine last Saturday…She would have had to be sneezing, coughing, or something along those lines.

I put in my combination, slung my heavy books in my locker discouragingly, and searched through the multiple others for my Trigonometry book, which was just as big as the others.

Then, in my opinion, a miracle happened.

Just as I was about to slam my locker door shut, I heard the sound of footsteps. They were slowly approaching me.

When I closed the door, my face immediately turned red. Carmen stood there, looking as healthy as she did when I last saw her.

"Hi, Ferb!" she chirped.

I mentally panicked. That whole stupid process was happening once again: I had no idea what to say to her.

"Oh…" I slowly began. My voice annoyingly gave away my anxiety. "Uh…H-hi." It was at that point I noticed we were about the same height. Either she was short, or I had grown a few inches over night.

She giggled. "You don't have to be so nervous, you know?"

I tried my best to swallow the lump in my throat. "S-sorry."

Better, but still noticeable.

I shuffled my feet on the floor. Hopefully I wasn't making a dork of myself in front of her. "Umm…Where have you been?"

The glow that surrounded her faded and a confused aura replaced it. "What do you mean?"

I didn't reply. She eventually figured out what I was talking about. "Ah, you mean the past three days?" I nodded. "I really just didn't feel like coming."

My brow rose. "Your…dad lets you do that?" I asked her quietly. I prayed my voice was loud enough to be heard over the commotion in the halls.

She shrugged. "Probably not, if he knew. But that's why I make sure he doesn't find out." Carmen explained, laughing.  
I didn't even care that she was telling me she skipped the past three days. It was a miracle she was even talking to me! At least, I thought it was. Several people walking by us must have thought so too. They stared at the two of us with wide eyes or open mouths so long, I was worried they might bump into someone.

"Well, I just swung by your locker to bring you this,"

I looked back to her as soon as I heard. She had her hand placed in her skirt pocket, and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

Instead of letting me take it myself, she grabbed my hand and placed it within my palm. "You're really sweet, Ferb."

The blood rushed to my face. What was I suppose to say!?

"Oh! Umm…T-thank you…"

Lord! I sounded like a stuttering fool again!

"So, what class do you have second period?" Her voice was pleasant, I couldn't keep arguing with myself.

"Math." I told her in a heartbeat. Maybe she caught that…

"Math? So you're in Algebra Two too?" she asked me with a tilt of her head. I shook mine. "No. Trigonometry."

Her eyes blinked repeatedly, obviously surprised. "Trigonometry!? Impressive. Math must be your best subject."

I gave a tinny chuckle that even I couldn't hear. Now I was beginning to loosen up. "Not really. All you have to do is take notes and study."

"I didn't know you could study math. I thought it was just a talent most people have." She laughed as she twirled her finger around a lock of golden hair. "I for sure don't have any talent in that class. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Tanner's out to get me."

I had to disagree with her, though not out loud. Mrs. Tanner, the math teacher, was the nicest in my opinion.

"Maybe you just need to practice…" I suggested.

Her nose wrinkled, yet she agreed. "Yeah, maybe. That would probably help to get that D up to a C at least."

She laughed again, and I tried my best not to.

We were both caught off guard when a tall, muscular boy rushed up behind Carmen and swung his arm around her shoulders. I recognized him instantly: Jordan Hardy, from my History class. The same person catching me staring last Friday.

I had the sudden paranoia that he would attack me at any moment.

"Carmen," he began squeezing her shoulder and pulling her closer to him. "Come on, baby, we gotta get to class. Bell's gonna ring in a minute."

I could feel my nails digging tightly into my book. I didn't have anything against Jordan, but I just had the sudden urge to throw something at him.

Carmen looked at him in an annoyed manner and slipped his arm off her shoulders. "Jordan, can't you see I'm busy?" she told him. Her head tilted in my direction, motioning to me.

He looked to me so fast I almost jumped. His face held an angry look, but it vanished when he discovered who I was.

"Oh, Ferb!" Now he was smiling. "Hell, man! Sorry about that. Didn't know you were trying to make a move here." he teased me. He looked like Candace did the other night, trying to keep from bursting out in laughter.

"Well, I'll be sure not to butt in next time." He playfully punched me in the arm. I only grunted softly so he wouldn't hear.

"You comin', Carmen?" he asked her as he began to walk down the hall.

Carmen only scoffed. "Yeah, just a second!" She turned back to me. I was almost sure she would leave along with him.

I though about pinching myself, making sure this wasn't a dream. Had I fallen asleep in Chemistry again?

"Anyway. Don't loose that," She pointed to my hand which held the note. "So, I guess I'll head to class. You should, too."

She gave me another quick hug, then rushed off down the hall. Before turning down the corner to another hall, she waved back to me with a pleasant smile. Then, she disappeared.

I continued to stare. A few people looked at me as if I were rolling on the floor when they passed. I wasn't too sure why…

With a gulp and small gasp, I pulled myself together as best as I could. It was difficult, though. Carmen had just talked to me! And in _school_!

It wasn't like I was worried about it, but that was absolute proof that she knew I existed. She proved that Saturday, when she came to me and called my name.

Elation lapped at me, filling me with unbearable happiness. If I weren't at school, I would have gone into anther giggle fit like last time. I substituted that with a small smile and made sure there weren't any more curios eyes resting on me.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I noticed there weren't but a few people left in the hall. Only the handful of students who rushed down the hall with worried expressions plastered on their face.

I peered at my wrist watch, and received another jolt. I only had thirty seconds to get to my next class!

As fast as I could, I took off down the hall, only to turn on my heels and head down the other end.

My sense of direction was terrible under pressure…

I cursed under my breath as the seconds slowly ticked by. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, louder and louder with every step.

The classroom door was soon in my sight; there was a possibility I wouldn't be late now.

With only seconds to spare, I skidded into the room. A few people looked up at me, but only turned back to their conversations with one another. I noticed that Mrs. Tanner wasn't there, luckily. That must have been why everyone glanced towards me when I came in.

I took the closest seat to me and slammed my books on top of the desk. The noise wasn't anything near the level of chatting all around me.

The teacher was in the room seconds after I sat down. Everyone rushed to their seats and scattered as Mrs. Tanner complained about the noise.

She mumbled something along the lines of _why did I decide to teach teenagers? _as she traveled to the wooden desk in front of the large room.

When she was in position and everyone seemed to be settled down, she grabbed up the attendance list and began reading out the names.

"Jessica Alms?"

A girl with flaming red hair's hand shot up and she chirped in a shrilly voice, "Here!"

Mrs. Tanner continued. "Raymond Colt?"

The tall, lean boy I recognized from homeroom said the same.

She continued on down the row until she got to my name, which she smiled upon reading it aloud. "Ferb Fletcher?"

I didn't bother saying anything, but raised my hand just at the length where she could see it over the crowd of bodies in front of me. She beamed at me and checked me down on the list, then continued.

I zoned out after that, peering down at the note in my hand.

Carmen had given me this, explaining it was important not to loose it. Why?

Well, there was only one way to figure it out.

Quietly, hoping no one would turn and begin talking to me, I unfolded it in my lap where my neighbors wouldn't see. The corners made a loud ruffling noise against my pants that made me grit my teeth dangerously tight.

I could have sworn I saw a boy trying to peer over my shoulder at the note from the corner of my eye.

Honestly, sometimes people could be so nosey, and immature at that.

When it was completely unfolded I smoothed out the curved wrinkles and read it to myself.

_Dear Ferb,_

_You're probably wondering why I don't just come to you and talk and stuff, like all the other girls in this school do. Well, it's not that simple._

_Unlike when we were at the mall we can't be alone with each other. School is just so crowded! LOL! _

_But, hey, that doesn't mean you and I can't be friends and stuff. _

_I just really hope you understand why I can't talk to you very much here…_

_We should really get together some other times and places. _

_As I'm writing this, I'm having to deal with Jessica breathing down my neck._

Stopping in the middle of the letter, I peered at the girl who had raised her hand a moment ago. There weren't many Jessica's in this school, so that must have been the Jessica she was writing about.

Shrugging her off, I continued:

_That's only one example about how we won't be able to have any privacy. _

_You're probably tired of people saying this to you, but, if you want to we can go out. You seem like a really nice boy, and I'd really love to get to know you better. _

_Seriously, I know it's hard to believe, but I'm not dating anyone right now.=) I know, SHOCKER! HA!_

_So, yeah, if you wanna talk, here's my cell number._

_266 - 2378_

_Anytime you wanna ring/text me, do it! I'm like those hot-line numbers, I'm always on board!XD_

_Love, Carmen! ; D_

And there, at the bottom right-hand corner of the page, was a large red smudge in the shape of a lovely pair of lips. They looked as if they were painted there other than kissed.

As soon as I was finished reading, my heart was beating at a dangerously fast pace.

Was this really happening!? I couldn't even believe it. First, she talks to me at the mall and then school. Then, she writes me this letter that was just screaming 'LETS GO OUT!'

I placed my hands to my forehead and rested my elbows on the desk. I was absolutely shocked by everything. After four long years, just one friendly conversation in a discount bookstore caused the crush I've had for so long to send me her phone number.

I'd never had any idea how dates worked, or anything of that relation. Was it the girl who gave out the number or the boy first?

Out of all the phone numbers I'd received, hers was definitely the most intimidating.

The letter was, I'll admit, difficult to read. But that didn't matter at this point. I wanted to hold it to my chest, embrace it. Though the other students probably though I was strange enough already.

It was a lot like the other notes I'd received; it smelled of vanilla and sugar, just like her.

The perfume was one of the most drawing things about Carmen, and now I had the scent in my hands. I was absolutely going to keep this in a safe place!

Mrs. Tanner broke through my joy with a loud burst of babble.

"Alright everyone! Today we will be working with complementary angles. These are two angles that add up to equal ninety degrees…" she trailed on, not noticing that half the class was scribbling down meaningless junk despite the notes she wrote on the board.

I wasn't paying attention either. My mind was still obsessed with the fact that this wasn't a fantasy, but reality!

Carmen sure wasn't one to beat around the bush. It caught me off guard how quickly she wanted to get together after school. I didn't even have to hint with her, not once.

I had repeatedly asked myself if she had any idea if I even existed, and now I had my answer:

Yes, she did. And from the looks of it, she thought about me as much as I did for her.

--

_Phineas' POV_

It was the first time in days the sun could actually be seen shining. The ground was still wet, but at least it wasn't raining anymore.

Ferb still wasn't home when Mom and I arrived. He must have still been at school.

Practice was brutal that day. Coach had us running so many laps, it felt like there were cement blocks surrounding my feet.

I was assigned the javelin that day. It was a long spear that was suppose to be thrown across the field, but only a few of us were able to do that.

I seemed to be the only one capable of getting over seventy-five feet, therefore I would be on that strength Monday.

Because of that, my arms ached so much I could barely do my Algebra homework.

I was sitting on the desk between the two of our beds, trying my best to do my homework. I hadn't even bothered to take off my track uniform, being so tired.

Mom came in while I flipped through my text book, carrying a laundry basket full of dirty clothes.

"Laundry day!" She exclaimed as she practically kicked the door open. I jumped and nearly fell out of my seat.

"God! You scared the heck out of me!" I panted.

Mom shook her finger at me as she began pulling clothes out of mine and Ferb's hamper.

"Language, young man." A pair of my green boxers fell to the floor, and I blushed as she picked them up.

"Alright, that seems to be…" She stopped when she looked at me for the first time. Her eyes grew wide and angry. "Phineas!"

I turned to glare at her. "W-what?" The innocent expression I put on didn't seem to soothe her.

"You're still wearing your track uniform!? That's disgusting; you smell like sweat!"

The act I put on was soon given up, then I laughed. "Ah, come one, Mom. I look good in this!"

Mom shook her head and sighed. "How about I bring Isabella over with you like this and see what she thinks?" she suggested. Her face twisted into something evil.

I panicked and jumped up from my seat. "Alright, alright!" The thought of Isabella coming over and seeing me at an all time low in energy just didn't seem right. "I'll change. B-but not with you in here!" I waved my hands in her direction, shooing her out of the room.

She scoffed at me while heading out. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before, Phineas. You do realize when you were a baby you had to--"

"MOM! Please!" I begged her for mercy as my face felt like it was paling in disgust and reddening in humiliation at the same time.

Mom just laughed and retreated into the hall, grabbing the knob behind her. Before pulling the door shut, she turned to me again.

"Just bring them into the laundry room when you're done."

I nodded, and she disappeared into the hall with the door shut tight behind her.

Finally I was alone and free to get dressed in privacy. I zipped to the dresser and dug out a pair of sweat pants and a worn out t-shirt.

I yanked off my sweaty garments and hastily dressed in the indecent outfit, worried that my mom might decide to barge in again. As I pulled on the shirt, I noticed it was about a size too small for me.

Obviously, it was Ferb's shirt. It was perfectly clear the minute I saw the_ Dead __Kennedy's_ logo on the front. He was practically the only person on the block who listened to that band.

I didn't have anything against it, but the singer just sounded so…weird to me.

As soon as I had pulled the old sweat pants on, I grabbed up the clothes I had taken off and headed to the laundry room down the hall.

On the way there, I got a whiff of the clothes in my hands. Thank goodness Mom made me change before she really _did _invite Isabella over. They absolutely reeked!

When I was in the room, I threw open the lid to the washing machine and tossed in the stink bombs.

I huffed in frustration when I noticed the smell still lingered on my skin.

Quickly, I went back to my room to slather on some cologne and deodorant. Maybe Ferb wouldn't mind me using both of his.

After all that, the smell was masked as well as it could be with the thick scent of musk. At least the stench only made my eyes water and not plug my nose.

I sat back down at my desk and began working on Algebra, wishing that there would be no more distractions.

"Fractions…oh, joy!" I scoffed sarcastically. I flipped the page to try and familiarize myself with the problems, yet it seemed hopeless. All hope turned to my step-brother.

I decided to give up and begin on my Biology problems. We had just gotten into the subject of dissection, and I, along with every other boy in my class, was ready to be the hero and slice open Isabella's test subject.

The sound of tires on the pavement was enough to make me look up and out the window before me. Either Dad or Ferb had just pulled in. I would probably find out sooner or later.

It was sooner…

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed throughout the house almost seconds after the front door slammed shut. Only Ferb would do something like that; Dad was just too old to run up the stair at that sort of speed. Mom too.

The bedroom door burst open again, and Ferb was at my side before I'd even thought about looking up.

He threw a folded piece of paper on my book and crossed his arms.

"What's this?" I asked him as, meeting with his eyes and getting a good look at him. His face was red from running up the stairs, and it looked like he hadn't been able to breath regularly for hours.

He didn't answer, only looked at the shirt I was wearing. "Is that mine?"

I peered down it, then back at him with a nervous chuckle. "Oh, yeah. Umm…I just grabbed it without really looking. You mind?"

He shook his head. "No, whatever. I need you to hide that from me." Ferb explained as he motioned to the paper in front of me.

"Hide it? Wh…why? What is it?"

"It's…a letter. That's all."

I stared at him, and then let my face twist into an impish grin. "Is it a _looove _letter?"

He didn't answer, and I assumed it was a 'yes.' "Well, what's it say?"

Before uncrossing his arms, he sighed. "Just read it if you would like to know."

I shook my head so fast his brows rose in confusion. "No thanks! I'm still having nightmares from that last one. Just tell me, why do I need to hide this?"

Ferb stood in front of me for a few moments, then turned and headed to sit on his bed. "There's a phone number in there. And isn't the rule not to call a girl for three days?"

It didn't take long before I was trying not to burst out laughing. My brother wasn't really in touch with this sort of thing, so I did my best to keep that hilarity bottled up.

"Ferb…that's not what that rule is for." I failed at the end of the sentence and released a small chuckle.

He tilted his head in confusion. "Then what is it?"

With slight annoyance, I grunted and swatted my forehead. "That's only when you go out on a date with a girl. _Then _you don't call them for three days. Otherwise, you look desperate."

"Oh…" He dropped his head. Guilt suddenly panged through me for him. "Then what do I do!?"

I was very tempted to ask him who had given him their number, but decided now wasn't the time. He didn't look like he was in the fancy of talking about it, only to panick.

"Call her! It doesn't matter if she just gave you her number at school; that's nowhere near a date."

_Unless you skip lunch._ I mentally laughed at the sick thought.

He got up from the bed in one swift motion. That move was starting to get old!

"Fine! But you have to stay here and help me out!"

I jumped from my chair and defensively held my arms before me, palms facing him. "Whoa! No way! Don't get me wrapped up in this. If Isabella finds out, she'll skin me alive!"

"What are you talking about!? It's not like we're calling _her_!" He picked up the phone on the nightstand and grabbed the piece of paper he had thrown down before. "I just need you to help me not make a fool of myself!"

Completely ignoring his words, I placed my hands on my ears and turned my back to him. "Like hell! I've gotta finish my homework and you need to learn how to talk to girls without help!"

He grunted and began to punch in the numbers from the paper into the phone. I sat back down at the desk and, for a third time, started back on my homework.

I could hear him crawling back on the bed, but no other noises. He was silent, and that worried me.  
I spun around in my chair after a moment of nerve racking silence as fast as I could to see him curled into a ball beside the wall, clutching the phone in his hand with his thumb on the last digit needed.

After watching him distressingly rock back in forth, I caved.

"Alright!" He looked up at me with wide puppy eyes. I had the sudden burning urge to leave the room. "I'll make you a deal: I help you with this chick, you teach me this stupid math homework!" I pointed down to my Algebra book, and his face lit up.

He smashed his finger on top of the final number, which I noticed was an eight, and proceeded to thanking me.

"Phineas Flynn, you're the greatest yet cruelest brother ever!" He pushed the speakerphone button, and paused. His eyes skimmed over to me slowly. "..who used way too much cologne."

I ignored him and rolled the chair next to the bed as he held it in his hand beside us.

The suspense was violent as the phone on the other line rang several times. Ferb began to bite his fingernails while I sat back in my chair, much more relaxed than he was.

The phone rang three times without an answer

It rang a fourth time. Still nothing.

Fifth. Ferb looked like he was going to cry.

Then, he stiffened and I leaned forward. The sixth ring stopped right in the middle with a click, and a cheery voice flooded the room.

"Hello? Ferb?"

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**Hooray for modern references!**

**And, yeah, that's all this time. But I will say this: It's very hard to write a fan fiction involving Phineas and Ferb (should be Ferb and Phineas) when you're actually watching the show…: ( **

**Uh, please review…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yeah, school started back. Also, I had to sit down and actually **_**think **_**about what should be put in this chapter.**

**Okay, so, yeah, on with the show!…Or story. Or whatever.**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 8**_

--

_Ferb's POV_

The phone nearly fell out of my hand. Her beautiful voice sounded the exact same as always, even though she was talking through the phone.

I clutched it so hard, it felt like my fingers almost fell off. Phineas coughed a little into his fists as he urged me to speak up. I looked to his face, and he shrugged.

With a silent 'Oh!', I pulled myself together and tried to speak loud enough and without sounding like an idiot.

"Hello…" I sighed into the phone. At least my voice didn't crack.

She giggled. I could tell from the background that she was listening to the radio. She must have been in her car.

"Hey! I didn't think you'd ever call!" It was definite that there was a smile on her pale face.

"How…How did you know it was me?" I asked her in a somewhat quivering voice. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Phineas mouthing the words _another stalker._

"Well, I'm on my Daddy's cell. He's said something about how your dad's his best worker, so he put him in his address book. Are you on your home phone?"

I nodded, then realized she couldn't see me. "Yeah. I am."

"Eh, then there you go!"

I looked to Phineas. He stepped away and, for some reason, headed to the window. "Yeah, found it from her dad's phone. Sure." he mumbled incoherently.

Before his words could reach the phone, I covered it quickly with my hand. "Would you _shut it_!?"

He only scoffed.

"Is someone else there?" Carmen asked. I panicked and turned my attention back to her.

"Ah! No, no! It's just my brother."

"Just you're brother!? Need I remind you I'm making sure you don't humiliate yourself!?" Phineas griped just loud enough for him to hear me.

I shushed him again, trying my best not to chunk the phone at him.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a brother! What's his name?"

"Uh, Phineas." He turned after hearing his name. A confused and spooked look was lingering in his eyes and mouth was slightly open.

"What?" he asked frantically. "Don't give her my name!"

"'Phineas'" she repeated his name like she it was foreign. "I'd never heard of that name before. Could you tell him I said hi?"

"Sure." I looked to Phineas, who rolled his eyes. "She said 'hello'."

He crossed his arms and sighed, "Hey." His voice was extremely mellow. Without giving me a second glance, he turned and looked back out the window.

"Umm…he said 'hey.'"

Carmen quietly chuckled. "I heard. So what're you up to, anyway?"

The question caught me off guard. I hadn't really been doing anything, and the last thing I wanted was to bore her.

I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. "Ah, well, I just arrived home. I was…running a few errands."

Phineas' head turned and I received a strange look.

I ignored him, focusing all my attention on her.

"Errands?"

"Yes. I needed a little money, so I helped out a few people."

"Oh, well that's nice of you."

My face slowly began to turn pink. "Th-thanks. Uh, could you hold a moment, please?"

"Sure."

I clasped my hand over the mouthpiece again and eyed Phineas. Apparently, he felt my eyes on his back; when he turned, his face went from nonchalant to disturbed.

"What!?" His voice squeaked with anticipation. I felt like stomping across the room and slapping him in the back of the head.

"You aren't doing your job!" He raised an eyebrow at me. "I just lied to her!"

"Oh, that doesn't matter!" Phineas scoffed and laughed at the same time. "People do it all the time. Just makes them want you more."

I grunted. "Well, I don't like doing that! Just make sure I don't do it again!"

He waved a hand at me arrogantly. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

His smug attitude would be rewarded. I would definitely make sure that Algebra paper didn't have an A on it the next time he saw it.

I pulled my hand from the mouthpiece when I was sure the conversation was over. "Right, I'm back."

Her velvety voice returned in an instant. Part of me was praying she hadn't hung up, yet the other part was laughing at that ridiculous thought. Of course she wasn't going to do that! Right?

"Good, because there was something I wanted to ask you."

My heart skipped a beat, then pumped faster than normal. I swallowed before replying. "What is it?" I sounded far too enthusiastic.

"Well, you _did_ read my note, right?"

I heard Phineas from across the room. "Duh. How else would he have gotten that number?"

It was rather amazing he was able to put that much together. But, this time, instead of fussing with him, I ignored the remark.

"Yes, why?"

"I just thought maybe we should…you know, do something some time."

After these words, my eyes widened. Phineas had turned and was already across the room at my side again. It was a good thing, too; I had absolutely no idea what to say.

"Well!?" I looked to him in alert.

He shook his head. "That's got to be the most upfront ask-out I've ever heard."

I wasn't even sure 'ask-out' was a word, but I ignored it. "What do I say?"

After a moment of though, he cleared his throat. "I guess…ask her what she has in mind?"

Puzzled, I stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if that would be the wisest choice. Well, I had nothing to loose. It wasn't like she was going to change her mind about this whole thing and hang up. At least, that was what I was hoping wouldn't happen.

"Like what?" I asked her.

She made a humming noise as I waited with immense interest. "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"

With haste, I checked my mental schedule. The only thing I had to worry about was school. Pathetic…

"No, not exactly." I told her. "Do you?"

"I guess I do now," Carmen said. "So, how do you feel about restaurants?"

Phineas gave me that look again. The one that screamed _is she serious?_

"Well, I've nothing against them personally." I joked, and she laughed. My brother just rolled his eyes again. Supposedly, feeling as if I had everything under control (which I felt was the case) he shuffled lazily to his bed and sat upon it.

"I would hope not!" she humorously replied. "Anyway, there's this really nice place over close to where my dad works."

Phineas lied down on his back and looked far to relaxed. But, then again, I probably did to. That may have been the reason for his actions.

"What sort of place?"

"Just a fancy Italian place Daddy goes with his girlfriends. Would you wanna check it out with me?"

The fast paced beating of my heart nearly stopped completely. Phineas tilted his head atop the teal pillow in my direction. He looked like he would bust out laughing at any moment.

"Well…" I almost gasped as my pulse raced. "I-I suppose so."

A sudden urge to punch myself came to me when I heard my tone. I sounded far too relaxed and uncaring for the proposal. "When did you have in mind?"

"Whenever's fine with me," she told me happily. Then, her voice took on a more serious tone. "But preferable before nine, if that's alright."

I wanted to ask her what was at nine o'clock, but, holding my tongue, I decided against it. The last thing I needed was for her to think I was nosey. Nothing like spoiling your first date with a few too many questions.

"That's fine with me."

For a moment, she was quite. I heard the music in the background silence. Then, as an answer to her positions, a car door loudly clanked shut.

"So, how's about you give me you're address at school tomorrow, and I'll swing by and get you?"

The question she asked me ran through my mind multiple times. Of course, I'd have to get an okay from Mom and Dad before going through something like that.

It seemed much easier for her to just explain where she wanted to meet, but I make excuses. Phineas seemed to think it was a redundant plan, for he somewhat laughed and scoffed at the same time. At least, that's what I think he was making that noise for.

I agreed, after a long period of silence. At this point, I'd follow along with any plans she made. "That sounds fine."

"Great! I guess we've got that settled then." Carmen's silky voice chimed sweetly like a golden bell. I could easily hear the wind pounding against the phone in her hand. She must have been walking up her driveway…

"I…I guess so." I said under my breath.

An awkward moment passed, for both here at home and between Carmen and I over the phone. I searched through my entire mind for something, anything, interesting to say in order to strike up a conversation.

Luckily, she got to it before I had to.

"Okay then. Not to sound desperate or anything," I blinked when I heard a large door (almost sounding as if it were made of metal) creak open then slam shut. "But I've just got home; Daddy may need his phone."

I nodded, then cleared my throat. "O-okay, sure. So…I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow." she told me. She sounded much more assurable, letting me know that, this time, I really would be seeing her the promised date.

"I'll see you. Kisses!"

I told her bye, and hung up the phone the moment I heard her do so.

The phone remained in my hand for a few moments before I let it fall between my fingers and sink into the heavy quilt on my bed.

Phineas, who was still relaxing on the bed, didn't even move when he let a large cackle rack from him. It sounded like he was far too amused with the whole thing, especially since he was making annoyed gestures a while ago at the window.

"Wow, that was sort of creepy!" he announced through another laugh.

I didn't bother asking why, only sighed and lay on my bed, in the same position he was, parallel to me.

"Oh, no way, man! She's _not at all _desperate! I swear, from the sound of it she would have stayed on that phone with you all day, given the chance."

I shook my hand, grinning at his words. She wasn't anything desperate compared to those other girls.

He sat up on his bed with a grunt and swung his legs over the edge where they dangled to the floor. "Say, who was that anyway?"

My head rolled to his direction. "That was Carmen Alexander." He threw me a confused look. "I've never really talked to you about her."

"Sooooo….is she another stalker?"

I started at him for a moment, somewhat paranoid about how he would react to the answer. If I told him 'yes', he would probably either pester me about finally breaking down and dating one of 'those girls', or laugh again.

On the other hand, if I told him 'no', that would probably lead to a million questions involving the whole ordeal. I really didn't want to start at the very beginning.

I clasped a hand over my eye and pushed a few strands of green that had fallen in my face away, mentally sighing. I thought way too much about some things.

"No. She's _not _a stalker." I explained to him, hoping he wouldn't bombard me with interrogations.

That hope didn't last too long.

"Ah, so she's one of the normal ones?"

All the reasons why I'd decided not to talk to Phineas about this matter began to rush back to me. One: he had a rather big mouth; there was no way he'd be able to keep something like this to himself. Second: Phineas didn't necessarily understand the meaning of privacy. I was one hundred percent sure, after tomorrow's date, he would want every detail about the date with her.

"I suppose so. At least, she's one of the only girls at the school who don't try and constantly get my attention." I told him as my voice slowly lost its volume and fell to just above whisper.

"And why is that?"

I had to think about that one. Truthfully, that was the last thing that I wanted to think about. But, I threw out the most honest answer I could.

"Probably because she's…I don't know, popular and pretty…" It was a stereotypical suggestion, but the best I had.

He must have either gotten the hint or given up. "Well, sorry to sound like a jerk, but one girl isn't really that much of a relief." He went to the desk between our beds and rummaged through the stack of books.

"I know. But, it's still nice…"

I relaxed after that, listening to the sound of heavy books hitting the carpet. Regretfully, I'd left all my books in my car; it was cold outside, and I would eventually have to go out into that weather.

Suddenly, making me grunt, I felt a rough blow to my stomach. I immediately shot upright to see what it was.

Phineas stood over me with his arms crossed, and I noticed a brightly colored, red Algebra book sitting in my lap. My calm expression became an annoyed frown.

"And what's this?" I asked him, trying to sound clueless.

"We had a deal. Now you do my algebra homework." he explained, holding out a mechanical pencil in his fingers.

"That wasn't the deal!" I complained.

He shrugged. "Hey, you made me listen to that entire conversation. You owe me."

The annoyed look soon deepened on my face. "That makes absolutely no sense at all! You hardly did anything when I was talking to her!"

Without saying another word, he dropped the pencil on the bed, grabbed up the phone, and headed for the door.

I only scowled after him. There really wasn't any point in arguing with him; Phineas could be pretty stubborn about some things, especially homework.

Before leaving the room, he stopped and turned back to me. His face was triumphant, but for all the wrong reasons. "It's all fractions. Start's on page four-hundred and eight, number nine to thirty-six. Have fun!"

He staggered out of the room, leaving me sitting on the bed drowning in frustration.

I picked up the pencil and gripped it in my hand, the only way I could think of to channel the aggravation.

A bit lazily, and unenthusiastically, I opened the book and turned to the correct page. Phineas had already started the work, and it was obvious he needed help.

With an evil and vengeful smile spreading across my face, I began the first problem on the page.

Maybe when he saw the grade on the paper tomorrow, he'd never ask me to do his homework again.

--

_Lili's POV_

It was far to quiet in the house today. From the moment I got home, there was no one there. It was four hours (it was now seven thirty) until my dad got home from work.

Apparently, Grandma wasn't going to be visiting this week. That could only mean one thing: Pamela would be back soon.

Any moment now, the sound of a beat up truck would pull into the driveway and she would come bursting through the door to grovel at Dads feet.

Dad didn't have to tell me she was coming, and I didn't have to tell him I knew.

Right now, I needed to focus on my work. I sat in the patched up recliner in the corner of the room, while Dad deciphered a few crossword puzzles on the couch.

The television was hardly ever on anymore, at least, not after we got our last electric bill. It didn't matter to me, though. I hardly ever watched T.V. anyway.

The silence in the house wasn't very difficult to handled. We had lived like this for as long as I can remember: just Dad and me. No Pamela until I was about fourteen.

Then, for four long years, it had been the whole process of Pamela leaving for a matter of weeks, then coming back in tears.

I had to agree with Dad. It definitely would be better for everyone if she never came.

I flipped through my papers of homework, trying to get organized. The amount of homework I had gotten today was mind-blowing, but that was only because of my lack of attention the entire day.

Actually, it was the entire _week_.

As much as I hated to admit it to myself, Alexis and Joanna from my fourth period Chemistry class were right. Ferb really did have something in for Carmen.

I pressed a palm to my forehead. Luckily Dad wasn't paying much attention to me. He was far to wrapped up in his puzzles. If he had, he would probably have asked me what was wrong.

I had no idea what was going on with me!

Last week, when I heard those two gossiping about him, I could have cared less who Ferb had eyes for. But now, he bore into my mind. My thoughts. My everything.

Ever since last Saturday, I'd never been able to get him out of my mind. The way he just walked away from me when Carmen entered the store was unbearable. And everything was going so well up to then.

It was so nice to be semi-alone with him.

I rubbed my temple as I stared down at the words in my essay that seemed to blur. There was nothing I could say to myself that would convince me otherwise.

I knew for a fact that I was one of those girls from school. The type of girl who dreamed about being with him, who thought that they could be the girl who would finally open up that shell he had closed himself in.

But, honestly, there had been no effort for me to do that at the mall Saturday. Only when Andy told me did I realize I was talking to a boy who hardly spoke to anyone.

Then it hit me. I snapped my head upward and tried my best to keep from gasping. Ferb and I had never really had to try very hard around each other. No, never.

There had even been times when he greeted me in Creative Writing. I had absolutely no idea why I was just figuring this all out. It didn't matter that I was 'one of those girls', because I had hardly shown any of those feelings. Not even around Andy.

I sighed again and closed the book in my lap. Because of my carelessness, few of the papers that rested there fluttered to the floor, and I was far too slow to try and catch them.

One drifted close to Dads feet, and he noticed it.

With a curios 'hmm' he bent over, still seated, to pick it up. "Are they loading you down with too much homework, hon?"

I cleared my throat and got on the floor to pick up the multiple papers. "Not really. I've just had my mind on other things lately, is all."

He eyed me strangely for a moment, then looked down at the paper he had in his hand. It wasn't until a few moments did he hand it back to me, obviously reading it. I had all the other's cleaned up by then.

"You have an essay in Chemistry?"

Taking the paper, I nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry. I'm almost done."

With a grunt, he smoothed out the magazine in his hand and positioned the pencil in his hand to a more legitimate angle for writing. "That's not exactly what I'm worried about…"

It was my turn to give him an odd look, which he caught. "What do you mean, Dad?"

He wetted the tip of the lead before beginning the puzzle again. I used that time to place the book and papers in my hands back on the table with the others.

"Lilian, you're not focusing on your mom and me instead of schoolwork, are you?"

I turned on my heels so fast, it startled me as well as Dad. There was no 'Mom' to worry about, she had left over thirteen years ago. There was only one person he could have been talking about.

"Dad! Pamela is NOT my mom!" I sounded angry. I hated that.

"I know, not yet. But it wont be long now. You know that, Lilian."

I wanted to tug my hair out! Why were we even talking about this when Pamela wasn't even here? I spoke exactly what I thought, and his eyebrows pulled down over his electric blue eyes.

"You and I both know she'll be back soon."

"And how do we both know!?" I asked him as rage filled my words. It really was something I wanted to know. Grandma not being there just wasn't good enough.

"She called me while I was at work. She should be here either today or tomorrow." He didn't bother looking at me as he explained, only filled out another line in the puzzle. "I just need to make sure you know that nothing the two of us fight about will effect you in any way physically…You know that, right?"

"Yeah…" I told him through a painful exhale, trying my best to cool down. "Yeah, I know."

"Good." He smiled up at me for a few seconds, then pulled back down to the magazine in his lap. "Now, just because Pamela and I fight, it doesn't mean the two of us don't love one another. We've been planning to get married for two years now. We're just a little tapped on cash."

I didn't say anything. Only waited for him to finish writing the torturously long word down on the page.

When he had finished, I spoke up, causing him to meet my eyes again.

"But why would you marry _her_?"

I was actually surprised with what just came out of my mouth. That had been something I'd been wanting to ask Dad for years now, ever since I'd gotten the news from him about Pamela.

Well, it was out there now. I decided I may as well wait for an answer instead of cowering in my room.

Dad looked at me as if I'd just sprouted another head. "What do you mean?" His voice was gruff, almost angry. If I didn't know him, I may have been scared at this point.

"Why her?" I repeated. "Out of everyone in Danville, all the single women, why her?"

He stared at me. His mouth opened like he would say something, yet closed after a second or two.

Then, after what felt like hours, he sighed. "Sometimes people can't explain why they stay with someone. Even if they don't get along." he told me before looked back down at the crossword puzzle in his lap. Though, his hand was hanging motionlessly at his side.

My eyebrows lowered, making me look furious again. Which I was!

"That makes no sense. Why would you stay with--No! Marry!--someone you don't get along with!?"

He didn't answer, only shook his head effortlessly.

I breathed out angrily, like a steamed bull charging for a red flag.

"Well, whatever. All I have to say, Dad, is this:"

He raised his head just enough to stare me in the eyes. At least I had his full attention.

"Pamela will never, EVER be my mother."

Without waiting for him to reply, which he didn't, I turned away and headed to my room. It was a short walk, but I wished it was shorter. The only thing that made me more cross was that he didn't come after me to attempt to make things right.

For the first time in my entire life, I wished my dad would just go find his future wife and leave me at home.

Alone.

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**Oh, noes! All my chapters are getting longer! O.O**

**And why does the spell check constantly screw with my writing?**

**-grunt- You know what? I'm just gonna go to the gas station twenty minutes away from here and get myself a two dollar cappuccino.**

**And while I'm doing that, you, please review…and stuff.**


	9. Chapter 9

…**yeah. Um…I've completely forgotten what I was gonna say.**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 9**_

--

_Ferb's POV_

It was a really good idea for me not to openly speak up and say to Phineas that this was my first date. I really didn't need him on my back about that.

It was difficult enough trying to answer all his question that morning about her. He just wouldn't let up; I was starting to wish I had a picture of her just so it would shut him up.

It was going to be humiliating to tell Mom and Dad the news, that is, if he hadn't gotten to them first.

The worst thing on my mind was the fear of getting to school and seeing that she was missing again. It was a stupid thing to worry about, especially since she was the one who came to me. But that didn't keep my conscious from telling me I shouldn't be doing this.

As soon as I had laid my head on my pillow last night and breathed a sigh of relaxation, the little voice in the back of my head began to peck.

Despite it telling me that I should keep to my vow of silence at school, I ignored it the best I could.

There was nothing that was going to stop me. I had been gawking at her from the sidelines for too long, and now I was on the field.

She was throwing me a golden opportunity, which I intended to catch.

Now, it was difficult to even drive to school. The moment I dropped Phineas off at his school, undesirable doubt lapped over me.

There was absolutely no reason to be feeling this way! Yet, no matter how much I repeated to myself that everything would go smoothly, I couldn't stay calm.

It had to be either nervousness or anxiety. That was the only explanation.

Going a little faster than normal, I whipped into the spacious school parking lot and parked in the farthest spot I could.

I always parked away from the other cars. My Camry was nice and I intended to keep it that way.

Fortunately for me, it wasn't too cold outside, maybe around in the forties. Mom had forgotten to wash my school blazer, and the one she offered me looked as if it would insult my maturity.

I slammed the door and clutched my books to my side as a rough wind blew past. It was strong enough to knock a few leaves from trees all around me.

At least the walk to the front door didn't take too long; I needed to make sure I was distracted the entire day today. Otherwise, I would probably consider listening to my idiotic conscious.

The school was warm and refreshing as the air swept over me. I immediately noticed that there weren't many students there, neither was Carmen.

Before allowing myself to panic, I peered at the clock and relaxed when I saw that class didn't start for another thirty minutes.

With haste, I rushed to my locker to retrieve my first period supplies, and then head to the library for the remainder of the morning. The library was practically the quietest place in the school and was as big as the cafeteria, so it was tricky to hunt down a single person there.

I entered the library as quickly as I could, before someone had a chance to call me out or run up to me. There were only a few people there, like always: two of them were plump girls I recognized from my Trigonometry class, one tall, well built boy I remember being paired with for a History project back in August, and a gothic looking girl I sat next to at lunch. None of them noticed me as I walked by them towards the back of the huge room.

When I had gotten out of sight from everyone, I threw my few books and folders onto the first table I saw, and sat down to read.

I was willing to do anything and everything I could to keep my mind from trailing off to Carmen at the time.

For the remainder of the time before the bell rang, I sat alone in the ridiculously immersive room, reading a section from my chemistry book we wouldn't cover until several weeks to come.

--

It wasn't really all that surprising that I hadn't seen her yet; the two of us didn't have a single class together, not one.

There was a moment I thought about getting my schedule changed, but what good would that really do?

I slammed my locker shut the umpteenth time today, and headed to my last class: Spanish Two in the computer lab.

Everyone was beginning to leave school; some threw odd looks at me as I traveled in the opposite direction from the crowd.

I ignored them…

With very little focus, I took my time to the other end of the school. The only thing I hated about staying after school for an extra class was the fact that it required extra walking. That and the class I was walking to was the most inhabited section of campus.

I'd lost count how many times my things had scattered across the hall. Though, almost every time, a random girl would stop and help me gather them up in my arms, trying her best to strike up a conversation which eventually led to her asking me out.

It wasn't so bad, even flattering the first several times. Then I just muttered a 'thank you' and practically ran to the computer lab.

I sighed, defeated mentally and physically. My conscious had been utterly right: she had played me like a cheap fiddle, breaking a few strings in the process. That was the only explanation as to why she wasn't there.

With grunt that sounded much like another sigh, I picked up speed to class. The halls were starting to get less crowded, making my movement swifter and easier.

Within seconds, I was at the door to the classroom. Mrs. Andy wasn't there, like every other day, which meant I had to wait for her once again.

I gripped my Spanish folder tightly to my chest before leaning against the crème colored wall.

There was nothing to do but nod to the many people walking by me, who waved and threw me happy goodbyes.

Then, I heard the sound of her footsteps: the rhythmical footfall that echoed throughout the entire hallway. I could have sworn that everyone fell silent, leaving her to be the center of attention. At least to me.

She was to my side in seconds, then smoothing out her skirt before I even had the thought to turn and look at her.

"Hi, Ferb!" she beamed.

Within seconds, the heavy doubt that once filled me was swept away in an instance. Her heavy eyelashes fluttered gracefully over her grassy-green eyes.

I still couldn't get over how much her eyes rang a bell.

"Sorry abut, you know, the put-off…" Her head lowered and eyes shifted down to her feet. I wanted to hug her…

"Don't worry about that. We don't have any classes; it's not your fault." I applauded myself mentally for not stuttering or starting off with an 'umm' or 'oh.'

"Yeah, I guess you're right." she said, giggling. She looked back up to me, meeting with my eyes.

Awkwardly, we stood there, staring at one another for a while. I finally noticed and pulled away from her glorious gaze, coughing and trying to hide the blush spreading around my nose.

With a nervous laugh, she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out another folded piece of paper.

It wasn't like I was surprised. Many girls in our school passed notes and sent texts.

"Here," Carmen handed me the paper.

I took it quickly and looked it over. "Is this another secret letter I shouldn't read in public?" I asked her, sarcastically. It was amazing how much my attitude had changed just in the past moment. She was a very powerful woman.

She shook her head, with a smile on her face. "No, no! Not this time!" With one finger, she pointed to the blank parchment and poked it several times as she explained. "I just need you to write your address down for me. So I pick you up tonight."

I quickly looked up from the paper and back into her eyes. "Oh! Right!"  
"You didn't forget didn't you?" Carmen asked. Her tone was more playful than hurt.

"O-of course not!" I shot back as fast as I could. The date was definitely the first thing on my mind, but I thought it best if she didn't really know that.

"So, need a pencil?"

It took me a moment to absorb her words. But when I finally heard them, I shook my head and shot her the sweetest look I could muster up.

"Oh, no. That won't be necessary."

It must have worked; a few girls stopped and stared at me with creepy smiles and glistening eyes.

I reached into my back jeans pocket and pulled out the silver ballpoint pen, the one I carried at all times at school.

It was, for sure, a lucky pen. Every test I had taken with it would earn me a perfect score. Though, according to Phineas, that was only because I spent hours studying. Still, it was nice to have a bit of superstition on my side.

I scribbled down my address, trying to make the words as nice as I could before giving her the paper back.

She took it and stared at it for a while. "Huh. Your handwriting reminds me of French Script…from Microsoft Works."

I raised a brow at her. "Can you read it?"

"Yeah, no problem! I was just admiring it, is all."

My blush became more, painfully noticeable. "Oh…thank you."

She nodded, and turned her attention back to the paper. Her mouth moved in sync with what I had written. I wasn't too aware if she had any idea where I lived. Maybe I wouldn't have to explain it to her.

"Ah, I see!" Carmen exclaimed, making me and a few other people walking by jump a little in surprise. "You live just a couple miles away from town, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"Then your house shouldn't be too hard to find." She spoke in a way that showed off her perfectly white teeth. Not in a way that made her seem stuck up.

"That's good to know." I said, tilting my head down to stare at the tips of my shoes.

Another silent moment passed; neither of us said anything as she stared at the visible area of my face.

"I guess I'd better go then. Daddy may get mad if I'm not at home when he gets there again."

I looked back up at her. "Allright. I'll see you tonight?"  
She shook her head, positively. "Right! Tonight. Six o'clock?"

"Six o'clock." I repeated enthusiastically.

Carmen did as always, gave me a tight and loving embrace, then decorously sashayed down the opposite end of the hall.

When she was out of sight, I sighed in relief and leaned back against the wall. I could see Mrs. Andy coming from the corner of my eye, which meant I wouldn't have much longer to focus on Carmen.

The anxiety quickly seeped from my thoughts, but quickly rushed back into me when the worst came to me.

I had gotten the easy part out of the way: finally getting a date with Carmen. Soon, the hard part would arise.

I was going to have to tell Mom and Dad.

--

"What is this!?"

Phineas stormed in the room so quickly, I hadn't even heard the door open. I lowered the book in my hand just passed my eyes, enough to see him with a fist on his hip and holding a graded paper with his thumb and index finger.

I noted that the paper was what he had me do last night. There was a large fifty-four written in red ink and circled with the same color.

My plan had obviously worked.

"It looks like and F." I said nonchalantly, then began to read more from my novel.

"Yeah! That's right, an F!" He hollered, then crumpled the paper, dropped it to the floor, and kicked it under my bed. "I thought you knew what you were doing!"

I shrugged. "Maybe next time, you'll keep your end of a deal."

With a grunt, he slumped his shoulders and went to lie down on his bed. When he was there, and seemingly relaxed, he asked without even looking at me, "So, was that Carmen girl there?"

After a moment, I decided to give up on, sensing the conversation coming wouldn't allow me to focus. I threw the book aside, which I just then noticed was a copy of Candace's book, _Black Beauty._

Why had she left it in our room?

"Yes," I sat up on the bed, slightly angry about leaving my relaxed position. "She was."

"When is she gonna come and get you?"

"About six o'clock," I explained to him as I fingered with a loose string that hang from the quilt. "Give or take however long it will take her to get here."

Phineas snorted, which then turned into a full blown laugh. "Then that's good for me. Mom and Dad'll be forced to ask me about my romance life."

What he said made me grimace, but inside I was relieved. Spending time with Carmen meant I didn't have to answer embarrassing, personal questions. Questions parents weren't meant to ask to their son…

"Please, it isn't like they ignore you at the dinner table." I plucked the string from the quilt with a loud _PING._ "They just know everything about you now."

"Sure, whatever." He sunk deeper into his bed. I began to hope he would fall asleep, or at least stop talking. But that didn't happen; not with Phineas.

"What have Mom and Dad said about this anyway?"

I peered at his for a moment, then turned my attention back to the multiple colors on the quilt. It felt weird to make eye contact when talking to him about this sort of thing.

"I haven't really said anything to them about it." Phineas stiffened and his face grew more serious. "But, I'll have to say something to them when she shows up at the door. I hope Mum doesn't make a big deal over the fact that I'm going on my first da-"

I clasped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late. What I spoke was enough context clues to make my brother shoot up from his bed and grin evilly at me.

"Wait! This is gonna be your _first _date!?"

Without saying anything, I kept my hand to my mouth and stared at him like maybe that would fix everything.

He then began to chuckle madly and jumped from his bed, not pausing as he hit the floor running.

"Well, don't worry! They'll find out soon!" he shouted to me just after exiting the room.

By the time I was focused enough, I followed him as quickly as I could. He was already down the stairs by the time I hit the first step.

"Phineas! You little brat!" I screamed to him as I nearly slipped and feel down the stairs. I grabbed the rail just before plummeting.

When I was finally down the stairs, I looked around the room. Nobody was there. It was around dinner time, so they were obviously in the kitchen.

I quickly swept into the room, where Mom, Dad and Phineas all stood.

My parents were setting the table, though Phineas was standing against the wall with a smug look spread across his face, which only became more noticeable when he saw me.

"Oh, good timing, Ferb." Mom chimed as she sat a glass plate in its place. "We were just about to come and get you two; dinner's ready."

I looked at their faces. Neither of them seemed surprise, amazed, nor delighted.

Dad noticed the confused look on my face. "What's wrong there, son?" he asked.

For a second, I continued to stare, confused. "Didn't…" I blinked a few times. "Didn't Phineas tell you? Aren't you surprised?"

Now, both of them were staring at me. Phineas began to laugh again. He almost doubled over as her gripped his ribs.

Honestly, it wasn't that humorous.

"Surprised about what, honey?" Mom finished with the plates, then picked up the silverware that sat on the counter.

It slowly dawned on me what was going on: my brother was a conniving imp.

"Umm…" I searched for whatever excuse I could think of. Nothing came to me.

"Oh, Ferb. Just tell them the truth." Phineas said, still madly chuckling. He placed a hand on my shoulder, but I angrily shrugged it off. "Tell them that you have a date tonight."

Mom gasped, and I thought she would drop the rest of the forks and spoons in her hand. Dad looked as if he had completely frozen in time. He didn't move an inch and his fingers were still around the glass he had just sat in front of him.

I couldn't tell if I was annoyed or embarrassed by their reactions, but my face was growing red. It must have been the latter.

Before I knew it, Mom had darted across the room and was embracing me into a tight hug. She startled both myself and Phineas, so much, he took a few steps back.

Her arms clung dangerously around my shoulders, and her cheek was planted in my messy hair. "Oh, Ferb! I'm so happy for you! My baby's got his first date!"

"Er…" I wiggled a little. "Yes, Mum. A date…" Mom was certainly getting more and more hug-happy, with every speck of good news.

Dad finally let go of the glass and stood up straight. He coughed into his fist before speaking in a squeaky tone. "So…you have a date? With a girl?"  
I looked at him curiously. My nose scrunched up towards my eye as I answered. "Of course."

The look of relief in his eyes were somewhat concerning. He smiled and continued with his chore. "Well, good job there, Ferb."

Mom finally let go of me, placed her hands on my shoulders, and stared me into the eyes; her mascara was slightly smudged. Her eyes were obviously watering from the joy. "You _must_ tell us all about her! What's her name? What's she look like? Is she sweet?" She looked me up and down then. "And you're wearing _that_?"

Without much thought, I examined my outfit, and rolled my eyes. Here we go again. That endless string of questions. I shot Phineas a dirty glance, one that clearly stated, _You're going to regret this. _He only smirked.

"Is it Carmen?" Dad asked. I was surprised he remember.

With a smile and a blush I lowered my head to stare at the floor. "Y-yeah."

"See! I told you it only took little courage to ask her out!" he stated happily as he pointed a glass at me as if it were his finger, then sat it on the table.

"Actually," Phineas chimed in. I wanted to swat him on the head. He was causing too much unnecessary drama. "Carmen asked him out."

A hint of disappointment shone in Dad's eyes (Or amusement, it was hard to tell.), but it quickly vanished. "Well, that's good as well."

Mom shook me again, getting my attention. When I looked to her I could tell she still wanted all the juicy details about Carmen.

"She's just a regular blond, Mum. Tall, thin, and all that." I told her. I wasn't lying; that was as quick as I could simplify her. Though, I purposely left out the part about how she wasn't the brightest crayon in the Crayola box. It probably wouldn't matter anyway.

She took her hands off her arms and then crossed them. With a twisted grin, she examined my words. "Ah, a blond? Nice win. Sure you didn't want to go for a redhead?"

Dad snorted from across the room. "Maybe the boy wanted a _smart _girl…"

Mom growled at him, then grabbed a dish towel that lied next to her on the counter and chunked it across the room. It hit him softly on the arm, but he only laughed playfully.

Phineas and I chuckled as Mom shook her head at him. She then turned back to me.

"So, where are the two of you going?"

My smile faded. I was somewhat scared what here reaction would be to the fact that I had no clue. She probably wouldn't let me go, and wouldn't that be an interesting conversation: _Sorry, Carmen. My mummy won't let me go out with you. She needs to know where exactly I'll be. _

That practically screamed Momma's Boy…

"Well," I began sheepishly. There really wasn't any point in lying to her. "I'm not really sure exactly."  
Moms face didn't change a bit. It stayed that odd mix of eagerness and confusion. The same one she had when she swallowed her gum a while back.

"But I do know it's an Italian restaurant downtown."

"Is she coming to pick you up?" Dad asked. He was finished with the dinner dishes, so he walked over to stand next to Mom.

"Yes." I told them so fast it wasn't definite that they heard me. "But she's an experienced driver." At least I thought she was.

"Did you find out how old she it?"

I peered at Dad awkwardly. "Yes. Nineteen." I expected him to look angry, but he smiled.

"Then I suppose she is experienced."

I sighed with relief. "She said we'd be back before nine o'clock. So I shouldn't be out too late."

Suddenly, there was a high pitch beeping outside. Obviously a horn from a vehicle, but too abnormal to be a car. There was a faint light out the window; night was lingering on the edge of twilight. Already there were a few scattered stars in the sky and a half-crescent moon. I stared out the window as Mom, Dad and Phineas exchanged looks.

"I guess you had better get going before your mother decides to invite her in." Dad told me, earning another violent response from his wife.

I nodded, then walked towards the door. Phineas called to me just before my fingers touched the silver knob, "Good luck!"

With a sarcastic laugh, I swung open the door and slammed it shut behind me.

There, parked parallel at the beginning of the driveway and sitting on a hot pink motor scooter, was Carmen.

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**-cough cough- There's a strep throat virus going around my school. I think I'm getting sick… **

**Please let me know what you think if you value my life. For the sake of the story! And Ferb! REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry about the wait. School's got this sick joke to load the homework up during Spring Break. I'd burn it down if I wasn't such a good person…**

**P.S. I don't own Taylor Swift...**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_--_

_Lili's POV_

Dad had been right.

It was around six when I heard Pamela pull in the driveway of our home, step out into the gravel in her gawky platform shoes, and storm into the house.

I was sitting in my room, watching the entire scene through the window.

As soon as I heard her say something to my dad, I turned on my music and placed one of the plastic buds in my ear.

Knowing Pamela, it wouldn't be anything nice. Those two would probably be fighting in a moment again, but I always listened in to make sure things didn't get too bad.

I grabbed the book that sat on my nightstand, under my lamp: Eternal Abyss. I hadn't even read the first page since I bought it last weekend. Even though Ferb gave it good reference, I just hadn't found the time.

Guilty and desperate for something to do, I cracked it open to the first page and read while my music slightly blasted in my ear. Loud enough to hear the music, but quiet enough to hear what was going on in the next room.

_You were Rome__o and __you were throwing pebbles. _

_And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet!"_

_And I was crying on the staircase, begging you_

"_Please don't go!"_

Like I had expected, they had already began to yell.

"What makes you think you can just storm in here!?"

"The fact that this is _my house _is what!" Pamela shot back, her voice filled with anger and dominance.

"It isn't and never will be your house alone. You can't keep changing your mind! Either leave or stay!"

I shook my head. This was almost exactly what happened the last time Pamela came back. Could they be arguing about the same thing again?

"You know damn well why I came back, Joseph! I want my wedding ring!" she shrieked to Dad. There was my answer; a big YES.

Dad was getting angry. "Why give a woman a wedding ring, when she doesn't deserve it? Especially, if she keeps changing her mind!"

"Because you want to marry me! And there isn't any way in hell I'll let you try to bring me to this place without a ring!"

"You know I can't afford a ring right now! I don't know how many times I've told you!" Dad never cursed. I'm not too sure why, but whenever he and Pamela argued, all that would happen was the vein on his forehead would pucker. If things got really bad between them, he would stutter, exactly like when I got furious. "Is a ring all you care about?"

Pamela snorted. "Don't try and pull a guilt trip on me. Just make sure you get me one, and we can put all this fighting behind us."

That wouldn't help anything. I'm sure Dad understood that as well. As long as those two had been fighting among one another, there wasn't any way a ring was going to change that. A band of gold couldn't convert a devil to a saint.

He must have, for he told her exactly what ran through my mind. "What makes you so sure that things will change after I get you a ring!?"

There was silence after that. Pamela seemed shocked by Dad's words. Speechless.

Then, with a loud and frustrated growl, she yelled back at him. Her words were unintelligible and slurred together out of rage. I could only make out mild cursing and whining as she yelled at my father.

Part of me wanted to head into the room and give her a piece of my mind; to tell her how she wasn't wanted at our home, how disrespectful and ungrateful she was, and that she needed to try keeping her mouth closed for a change. But, the other part knew that would be a waste of time and energy, and would only lead to her fighting back. All I really could and needed to do was stay in my room and wait it out.

Dad was yelling now, though I couldn't understand either of them. I placed my hand on my CD player and toyed with it until my fingertips touched the volume control. I turned it up slightly, hearing the words flood my head again.

_Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel._

_This love is difficult, but it__'__s for real._

_Don't be afraid we'll make it out of this mess._

_It's a love story, baby just say yes._

The music only lasted a few moments though. Soon, the yelling outside my walls grew and I could barely even concentrate on my reading. I'd only managed to read one line, but I couldn't really think about it's meaning. They were only meaningless letters at the time.

Dad barked, "She's only eighteen! She isn't old enough to be out on her own yet! Especially not when she's still in high school!"

I groaned and buried my face in my pillow. They were talking about me again, something I absolutely hated. Obviously, Pamela was trying to convince Dad to kick me out again. They were on a whole new sujbect.

"Are you saying she means more to you than me, Joseph!?" she shrieked. From the sound of her voice, it was like she was on the verge of tears.

I turned the music down and listened for Dad's answer. He was silent for a long time, either trying to think of what to say or what to do.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "You know she's my daughter. She's my own flesh and blood and I love her more than anyone else in the world. So..." he paused. The entire house was silent despite the cars that passed noisily outside my window.

"So, yes. I do..."

Pamela didn't speak for a few seconds; another episode of silence passed through.

Then, with a huff and a few sniffles, she replied in a defeated voice, "I see. Then I guess you won't miss me too much if I never come back."

And, again, after heavy footfall on the tile flooring of the kitchen, her heels making a tapping noise, she opened the screen door again. It swung shut much more quietly than before, so I wasn't too sure she was really gone until I heard the engine outside rev.

I closed my eyes and listened to the gravel crunching and then the truck's noise fade away down the road. Whenever she was gone, our home was much more peaceful...

Grandma would be here to keep us company, and sometimes cook delicious sweets. And Dad would be in a much better mood.

When I was thirteen, and Pamela was apart of my life then as well, he would play games of chess with me while Grandma watched. I always won every game with him, be it he let me win or I was just smarter than he was. Though, there had been a few times he had me on the rocks.

Pamela hadn't been around in any of my good memories, only the bad ones.

I laid on my old bed for about five minutes with my eyes closed and listening to the birds that perched on branches above my head. The copy of _Eternal Abyss_laidbeside me, and my CD of Taylor Swift had begun to play another song, one I didn't really recognize.

So, bored and worried, I took the bud from my ear, slid off my bed, and made my way to the living room. The only noise I heard was the sound of a newspaper rustling.

Dad always read the paper after a fight with Pamela. When I asked him why, he joked and said, "It's nice to know there's people out there who've got it worse than me at the time."

As dark as it seemed, I laughed anyway and headed quickly to my room.

Now, being older, I knew he was just trying to keep his mind off of her.

I rounded the corner of the hallway and saw Dad lying longways on the couch. His head and feet were propped up on the arm rests, and the paper was held above his face. He looked uncomfortable.

"Dad," I said softly to him. His eyes flickered quickly to me, then back to his paper. "You okay?"

He finished reading whatever it was that caught his attention, then looked back to me. "Yeah, Lilian. Why?"

"I just...well, I heard _her,_is all."

He sighed and folded the paper, then sat it on the floor. While keeping his eyes off of me, he pushed himself up with a groan, sitting up in an upright position. "Everythings fine, honey. We've just been on the rocks a bit lately."

I shook my head. "It's more like the two of you stay on the rocks."

He stared at me; his eyes seemed glassy.

I paused before saying, "Are you really going to buy her a ring?"

"If I can get a hold of the money, then yes."

I had only gotten a couple of years alone with Dad, back when the memories of my mother began to grow hazy. It was just after she left, when I was four, that Dad seemed to be all about spending every waking moment with me. Even when I was in kindergarten. He would always be there before all the other parents to pick me up.

I remembered once, after school, I rushed out the doors and saw him standing beside the old, second-hand van we used to own. It was a dirty black, with multiple dings and scratches riddled around it. He crouched down to one knee and opened his arms for a hug as I ran to him, giggling the entire way.

Back then, my hair was a sandy blond and too short to braid or put up. When I met with his arms, he smiled and hugged me tightly. I saw a glow in his blue eyes, identical to mine. They were happy. He was happy to just be with me...

Now, I could barely recognize that man from the one sitting in front of me.

As I continued to stare at him, he stood up from the couch. It screeched from all the use over the years.

"I think I'll go for a walk." he told me as he scratched the side of his leg with his naked foot. I really wished he would at least put some socks on. It was around sixty degrees inside.

I pulled my arms together, hugging myself tightly as he opened the door and a cold wind rushed throughout the house. "Should I fix dinner?"

"No. I'll just order us a pizza later." He shrugged, and opened the door that had been slammed shut so many times before. Oddly, this particular item didn't screech.

In seconds, he was out the door and slipping on his Timberlands on the front porch. Then I was alone.

Without making a sound, I shuffled to the couch where Dad had been sitting and picked up the paper. He was probably going to be gone for hours.

--

_Ferb's POV_

I stared at Carmen. Her golder hair fell off her shoulders and slid down her back as she took her helmet off. It was the same exact color as her bike. She looked directly at me after hanging it on her handle bars. "Hey!" she called in a shrill voice.

I pulled myself out of my trance, them forced myself to walk towards her.

When I came closer, I noticed the outfit she wore. It was somewhat formal: a white V-neck shirt with long sleeves, black dress pants that slipped down to her ankles, and black high heels. I looked at my outfit. There she was, dressed like some sort of a goddess, and I stood there in my old worn out tennis shoes, a black button-up shirt that was too big for me, and blue jeans with one too many holes in them.

I looked like a hobo compared to her.

"Should I change first?" I asked her nervously.

She looked me over. Her eyes trailed from my feet to my head and back down as her lips pressed together ponderously. Then, they pulled up into a sweet smile. "Nah, you look handsome."

My cheeks heated up. I pushed my hands into my pants pockets nervously. "So do you." I complimented as I stroked the side of my phone.

"Thanks." giggled Carmen. When she turned to the other side of her bike, I saw that all her hair had been curled. The ends dipped outward and curled inward on themselves, bouncing with every movement she made. She whipped back around and handed me what I thought was the same helmet she had just taken off.  
"Here," she stretched the helmet towards me, indicating for me to take it. "I hope you're into red."

It took me a moment, but finally I realized what she was planning. Only outside of school did my observation skills weaken. "We're...we're going to ride THAT!?"

"Well, of course!" she laughed. "What? Did you think we were gonna walk?"

"No," I began, shaking my head. "But won't it take longer if we go on this?"

She gave me a strange look as I took the flaming helmet from her. "Not really. Actually, I think it'll be faster; this thing drives much better than a car."

I thought about it, and she was probably right. It would definitely be easer to weave through traffic on something five times smaller than a large vehicle. I took my hands from my pockets, grabbed the helmet and placed it on my head, then snapping the buckle shut tight under my chin. After all that, I stared at her quizzically. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather take my car? I'd only have to run inside and get the keys."

She shook her head. "That's okay. I just filled this baby up on gas, anyway." she explained as she used her left hand to pat the shiny metal and the other to apply her helmet as well.

And then, with one flick of her wrist, she turned the ignition of her tiny bike, making the engine come alive with an earsplitting roar.

I took a step back in alarm. For such a small thing, it sure made a loud noise.

"Where will I sit?" After looking up and down the bike, I noticed how little space it held. Clearly, it was designed only for one person.

She chuckled, and scrunched upward until her knees were inches from the handle bars. Then, she patted the leather seat. "Right here, silly."

"But," I gulped and nervously fiddled with the buckle on my helmet. It was somewhat tight, but I didn't bother try and fix it. "Isn't that dangerous..?"

"I don't know. But it'll work won't it?"

"Er...sure." There didn't seem to be enough room, but I tried my best to get seated and comfortable on the small scooter.

It was quite ironic, actually. Dad had asked if she was a decent driver, and I assumed he meant in a car. What was I supposed to say when he asked, _Well, son. How does the girl handle a car?_

It would probably be a good idea not to mention she didn't take a car, and that we rode illegally on a one passenger motor bike.

Dad might have seen like a relaxed man, but he could get on edge at times. Especially when it involved recklessness.

A good example would probably be the day Phineas tried to jump from the large tree in our backyard to the edge of the roof. No matter how many times I tried to tell him how stupid that would be, he climbed up and onto the top branch. He was just about to take off running, until Dad saw him out the kitchen window.

It only took Dad a few seconds to convince Phineas to come down. After that, there was loud yelling and the use of the words 'idiotic', 'asinine', and 'jackass' echoed throughout the block.

I shrugged, and continued to read my book under the shade of the branch my brother may have broken his neck on.

This time, it would be a good idea not to mention it and pray nobody saw the scene out the window.

When I was settled on, she revved the engine a few times. It rattled and shook on its two wheels, the only thing keeping the bike in place were her two slim legs.

"How will I stay on?" I gripped the back of the seat, but even the bikes vibration was enough to make me queasy.

She laughed, then took her hands off the handlebars long enough to grab my wrists from behind her back. "Like this,"

Her arms wrapped mine around her waist which caused me to become anchored to her. My cheek was pressed tightly against her back, and as the motor's roaring grew more violent, I awkwardly held her closer.

With every passing second, my cheeks grew a deeper crimson; I thanked God she wasn't able to see my face.

Then, finally, she released the brake and the bike began to move. It started off at a slow pace of five miles per hour, then began to quickly accelerate as we sped out of Maple Drive.

--

I couldn't tell how long we drove. The bike traveled so fast, it was probably a good estimate of only six or seven minutes; I wasn't even sure if we made any stops. My eyes stayed closed then entire drive and I kept my grip tight around Carmen. If I lossened my arms just a little, my heart beat faster and I feared I would fall to my death.

It was a good thing I didn't peak. Any person driving down the road at six at night would have laughed straight at me. A seventeen year old boy, riding a pink scooter, eyes squeezed shut, and clinging for dear life to an older girl.

Hopefully, Buford, Baljeet, Django, or Isabella (anyone who I knew) weren't taking a joyride tonight.

Especially not Buford…

The wind passing by us made my ears tickle from chill. We rounded another corner and I wrapped my arms around her more as my fingertips came centimeters away from her clothed bellybutton.

She must have thought I was a wimp, for she took her hand off the handlebars and patted my knuckles.

"Are you nervous?" she asked me. She kept her hand on mine, and I nearly melted.

"Just a little," I admitted. "I've never really ridden on one of these before."

Carmen laughed and I opened my eyes as we turned the corner of a McDonalds. I could see through the windows that weren't fogged up that it was nearly empty. Danville wasn't really popular for its fast food, minus the Mr. Slushy Dawgs that seemed to be popping up everywhere. "I guess you have something to brag about, huh?"

I chuckled nervously. "Sure." _If I live that long._

She patted my hand and returned hers to the bars in front of her. For just a few seconds, I was in heaven. My hand tingled from where the cold metal of her bracelet previously laid. I bet it smelled just like her perfume now.

Then, she flicked the turn signal for the umpteenth time. It made a ticking noise, abnormal to a cars. She tapped the brakes and we cruised into the parking lot of a large building, about the size of a decent house. There were multiple lights decorating the porch, where people were filing out of the doors in large numbers. Some leaned against the guard rails with cigarettes balanced in their fingers. Deadly smoke puffed from their mouth and poured from their lips, filling the air.

One man sauntered in front of us. He had a cell phone plastered to the side of his head, oblivious to us.

Carmen honked the small horn of her bike. He looked up at the noise and jogged out of our way, and Carmen proceeded to park in the closest spot she could find.

"Well," She pulled off her helmet as soon as she was parked and the bike was dead. "This is it."

I unbuckled my helmet, took it off, and handed it to her. She placed it on the bar next to hers.

Up close, I could see the name of the restaurant decorated in large, green letters above the porch.

_The Spaghetti Factory._

"It's sort of a queer name," Carmen explained as she sashayed next to me. "but they're really good with atmosphere and stuff."

"It's nice." I said. "Like something from New York."

She laced her arm around mine, constricting the two of us at the hip, and chuckled. "Yeah. I guess so."

I looked at her, slightly surprised by her movement. Her smile was twisted upward, one side higher than the other. For the first time, I noticed the glitter on her eyelashes.

"Well," she rested her hairspray coated head on my arm. "Aren't you going to lead me in, handsome?"

I paled. Her arm was tight around mine, and I could detect her vanilla perfume easily. She smelled sweet, like sugar cookies.

"Right, sorry!"

Nervously, I strode forward as she followed closely behind. Any claustrophobic person would have panicked by how attached she was to me.

Instead, I enjoyed the moment as we made our way to the glass doors, where a man dressed in black welcomed us.

So far, everything was perfect.

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**Awwwww…Sweet American/British love! Haha! He...he...uhhh...**

**But, I'm not making the whole Spaghetti Factory thing up. There really is a restaurant by that name in Nashville, Tennessee. At least, it was there the last time I went. It was cool! They brought us soup and ice cream!:)**

**Okay, so, please review so I'll be motivated to write the next chapter in less than two months please!**

**Peace out!**


	11. Chapter 11

**-points down- Just read.**

**___________________________________________________________________**

**Engaging Nightmare **

**Chapter 11**

--

_Ferb's POV_

As soon as we walked through the restaurant doors, the thick and strong scent of tomato sauce hit my face.

It wasn't anything like I imagined it to be. In my mind I pictured an average place with multiple waiters rushing this way and that, people dressed in casual wear, and random music playing somewhere off in the distance.

It was the exact opposite of that: everyone was dressed in formal, the waiters and waitresses looked as calm as could be, and the only sounds were laughter and deep conversation.

My self-esteem dropped quickly. I hoped nobody would note my choice of clothing. It was bad enough looking like that in front of Carmen, now I was being compared to everyone.

She held tight to my arm as we waited to be seated. "It's pretty easy to get lost in this place."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Have you?"

"Yeah, when I was little," she explained, laughing. "I was trying to find the bathroom, and I was gone from the table for about twenty minutes."

"What did you do?" I asked her. A man in a burgundy suit trudged by us with several black menus in his arms.

"Daddy told the manager, and he had every waiter in the place looking for me." She rolled her eyes and chuckled slightly. "Talk about overreacting…"

Before I could even try and make myself say something, the same man who passed us seconds ago was back, this time empty handed.

"It's the 'Alexander' reservations." Carmen told him quickly. He smiled, and threw her a 'yes ma'am' before leading us to the left of the entrance.

My feet made a clacking noise against the tile floor, but not as bad as Carmen's high heels. Everything in the place looked like it was worth thousands of dollars. The walls were plastered with gray print and the lighting was poor, but the overall atmosphere was quiet lively.

It was going to be fun looking at the menu prices; all I had in my wallet were a couple of tens and a driver's license.

Finally, after walking practically across the entire restaurant, we were brought to an area in the corner of the large room. Beside the table was a window that stretched from the ceiling to the wall. At least, I thought it was a window.

When I sat down in the seat closest to it, I reached out and touched bumpy canvas. Not cold glass like I had deducted.

Our waiter pulled out a pen and a pad of paper from his back pocket and then cleared his throat. "My names Antonio and I'll be your waiter tonight. So, what'll it be to drink?"

He positioned his pen close to the paper, like he already had the idea of what we would say.

Carmen spoke up. "Diet Pepsi, no ice."

He scribbled that down in seconds and turned his attention to me. His eyes were dark and somewhat terrifying. "And for the gentleman?"

"A glass of tea." I told him quietly.

"Would you like a slice of lemon?" he asked after swiftly moving his hand on the paper.

"No, thank you." I hated lemon. The sour taste was just too strong.

"Alright, then." He chirped happily, then placed his pen and paper back in its resting place. I'll be back in a moment with those and your menus."

Then, he scampered off in the same direction we had followed him from. He seemed much more on edge than the other people.

I looked back at Carmen when I heard her buttery giggle. She had her hand covering her mouth and eyes clutched shut like she were about to burst.

"You're not one to skip out on the stereotypes, are you?"

I gave her a confused look as she stopped herself from snickering. "What do you mean?"  
"Seriously, _tea?_ I mean, you're British…right?"

For a few more seconds I stared her down, not too sure what to say. "It's not really because of that," I finally told her. "I'm just not too into sodas."

She shrugged. "Eh, well, I still think it's interesting."

The waiter came back with two tall glasses in his hands and the menus stuck beneath his arm. He carefully sat the items down in front of us. Then, without a word, he scurried off again.

Carmen grabbed the top menu and handed the other to me. "Pick whatever you want." She explained smiling. "It's all on Daddy tonight!"

"How generous of him." I chuckled, taking it from her. I flipped it open, revealing a blinding reflection of bright yellow and green. The categories were arranged just like every other menu: soups, salads, entrées, hors d'œurve, and desserts. Unlike every other place I had been, they didn't show small pictures next to the Italian words, which were difficult to pronounce.

With a SNAP, I looked to Carmen and noticed that she had already closed her menu and tossed it aside.

She outstretched her hand, pulled it down to where she could read the menu, and pointed her finger next to a long word beneath the bold heading that read, Entrée.

"That's one of the best things they serve here! Seriously."

I trailed my eyes next to her slim finger. The description made it sound like a simple lasagna recipe. Then, my eyes caught the price.

"Thirty dollars!?" I exclaimed, yet quietly.

Carmen waved it off and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it! It's worth every penny."

"But, isn't that a bit much for one dish?" I asked, feeling somewhat bad for having to pay so much.

Again, she shrugged. "Just think of it as helping out a small business.

"So," Carmen began. She pursed her ruby lips together tightly before taking a small sip from her Pepsi. "I guess the two of us don't really know that much about each other, huh?"

"I don't suppose so." I had to agree with her. I may have known quite a bit about her, but she practically only knew my name, age, and that I went to school with her.

"Well, how about we play a little game while we're waiting?" she asked. Her eyes flickered mysteriously, and I wondered what exactly she had in mind. The long nail that protruded from her finger drew small circles on the glass table top. I could faintly hear a scratching noise.

"What did you have in mind?"

She stopped abruptly foldeing her delicate fingers beneath her chin and rested her elbows next the glass. "Something for the two of us to get to know one another." With a quick movement, she took another swig of Pepsi. "First, I'll ask you something about you. Then you answer, and then ask me something." Instead of putting the glass back down, she chewed on the straw for a few seconds. "How's that sound?"

I could tell by her eyes that she wasn't exactly expecting me to answer 'no.' So, I nodded and folded my arms across my chest while leaning back in a more comfortable position.

"All right. But, ladies first."

Carmen giggled, and I had to as well. "Okay, let me think." She nibbled on the plastic for a moment or two more as her eyes darted all around the room.

Finally, she removed the straw from her mouth. "What's your first childhood memory?"

That question somewhat struck me. I was expecting something along the lines of 'what's your favorite color?' or 'who's your favorite teacher at school?'

I dug my nails into my shirt as I pondered her question.  
"It took you that long to think of one question?"

She shrugged. "Well, I have a lot more."

I chuckled. "Well, then, I guess it would have to have been the day I moved to America."

A few seconds of silence passed that felt like minutes as she stared me down with her emerald eyes. "Moved to America? Where did you used to live?"

I stared at her for a little while longer before pulling my eyes away from hers to stare at a lost crouton on the floor. "In England, about fifteen years ago."

"When you were two years old?"

I nodded.

"Wow…How do you remember that?" she asked blinking wildly at me.

"I suppose it was the first time in my life I ever really had a family."

She tilted her head to the left a bit. "You had your mom and dad, didn't you?"

I tried my best to look like the conversation didn't bother me, but I could tell I was miserably failing.

"Well, not exactly…" I trailed off. I could definitely feel here eyes drilling into the side of my head.

Carmen then gasped, making me took back to her swiftly. "Oh! I'm sorry! I don't mean to be nosey."

I shook my head. "No, it's not that." I explained to her. She brought a hand to her chest and massaged her collarbone, still looking worried about what she had asked. "I just don't really know what to say."

"Are your parents divorced, too?"

I stared back down at the floor, trying to form the words to say and not make myself sound like a fool. There wasn't that much to tell her.

"No. I'm not exactly sure what happened. I live with my dad and step-mum, but I never really knew much about my biological mother."

"Did you ever ask your dad?" she asked, taking another drink of soda after. I could tell she was getting worried about asking too many questions again, but it didn't matter to me. Talking to her like this was amazing…

"I tried when I was younger. But he always said the same thing: I'll tell you when you're older. And, so, pretty much after that I just gave up…"

Carmen stared at me after that. Her large green eyes looked like they were on the brink of tears, but they quickly disappeared when she looked down to the menu before her.

We sat there, listening only to the sound of the people surrounding us, until finally she spoke up.

"Alright. It's your turn."

I brought my eyes back up to meet hers, showing off that she was desperately trying to brighten up the conversation. "Now you have to ask me something."

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. My middle finger traced the edge of my glass, leaving small trails and cold water on the tip. "Would it be cheating if I just asked you the same question?"

She thought for a moment. "Not unless you really want to know."  
"I really do." I told her while nodding.

"Then, nah. No cheating."

Without even batting an eye, and totally surprising me, she leaned back in her chair and spouted the answer in seconds.

"My first day at Danville's private school."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah," she began, then took her glass in hand. "I've only been to about three schools my whole life, and that one is the best hands down."

For a second, I continued to trace my finger along the glass, unaware if she was finished or not. "Why is that? There aren't many people there."

She took a large sup through the straw, then explained through an exhale, "Exactly." The glass made a 'tink' noise when she sat it down. "The less people in an area, the less there are to worry about."

I sat there, staring at her as she examined the menu's corner (which had begun to peel from the cheap cardboard.) What she said didn't make much sense to me, but I decided to ignore it as she began again.

"Okay, here's another one: do you have any other siblings?"

"You mean besides my brother?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Phineas is his name, right? The little redheaded boy?"

"That's right." I told her. I picked up the glass and took a small sup from the side, seeing as I wasn't given a straw. It was bitter at first, soon followed by a sweet sensation in the back of my tongue. "How did you know he had red hair?"

"I remember seeing you pick him up one day after school. I guess before you took an extra class."

She was right. I even had to pick up Phineas when I was a junior, also a sophomore. It was going to be nice when my brother got his own car. That or nerve racking.

"I don't have any brothers or sisters," Carmen told me, keeping her head down and fiddling with her menu. "In case you were wondering."

I thought for a moment and took another drink of tea. "What's your favorite color?"

She tilted her head. "That's original. Could you not think of anything else?"

With a laugh, I shrugged. "That too, but you can tell a lot about a person by their favorite color."  
"Okay then." She began, then leaned closer to me against the table. "Green."

A man with a woman clinging to his arm scurried by us. I had to look up at the two of the as they passed, noticing how their cheeks were tinted red and eyes diluted. The restaurant must have served wine.

"Green, that's an easy one." I noted how her smile grew and eyes glimmered. "It can mean two things. Either you're and envious and deceitful, or you're calm and in touch with the earth."

"Oh?" Carmen giggled while leaning far back in her chair and crossing her arms. "And which one of those do you think suits me best?"

It didn't take me to long to answer. "Most likely the second." She giggled again. "But, then again, I could be wrong."

This time, it was a sarcastic laugh. "Well, I guess you'll find out soon, huh?" she teased as I watched her hand search for something to playfully throw at me. Unfortunately, there was nothing that would be considered 'playfully'.

"I'll guess with you then." She told me. "What's your favorite?"

"Purple." I told her quickly.

She squished her lips together, and a 'hmm' noise vibrated in her throat. "I'm going to guess it means you're smart."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You get that from my favorite color?"

"Well, I have seen you answer questions in class." she said as she folded her hands under her chin. "I'm almost certain I'm right, or at least close."

She wasn't even close. I didn't care; I couldn't keep my eyes off her face, her eyes, her lips. Everything about her looked perfect at that very moment.

I didn't want it to ever end...

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**Sorry about the long...long wait. I thought I'd get a chance to do a lot of writing during my summer. Unfortunately, I got a job and that took up a lot of my time. Yeah, the moneys great, but it sure disappears quick.**

**And, yes, the ending was rushed...**

**I think it might be a while before chapter 12. I have to research this fanfic and get back into the flow before I go and screw it all up...:/**

**Appreciate the patience!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Right now I'm stuck working on this story on WordPad. How fun! No spell check or word count...-moans-**

___________________________________________________________________

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 12**_

_--_

_Ferb's POV_

It was around ten o'clock when Carmen and I pulled up to my driveway. I had gotten comfortable with holding onto her waist, and had both arms wrapped around her delicate waist as we pulled into it and she parked just beside Dad's car.

The mini-bike screeched softly as it stopped and she slammed the gear shift up into park, making a loud **'clunk'**! I then let go of her waist and stumbled onto the pavement, trying my best to get used to walking again.

"So," she began as she pulled off her helmet. I did the same and handed it to her. "Think you'll be able to ride in a car the same way again?"

I ran my hand through my hair and laughed a bit more forcefully than I would have liked. "Well, it'll be difficult."

She brushed a strand of hair from her face and smiled, showing off every one of her perfect, white teeth. A look of realization suddenly washed over her face.

"Oh! I should probably do this before I forget."

My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as she pulled a napkin (which she had showed in her pocket back at the restaurant) out. It was folded neatly in a square with a phone number scribbled on the top. She handed it to me and chirped, "It might make things easier if you text and call me on my _real _number."

I read and memorized it for a few seconds. "Another one, huh?"

"Yeah, I don't normally give out my own phone number. You know, there's an awful lot of weirdo's out there..." she explained with a shrug.

I nodded and pocketed the napkin. "Thanks again, for dinner." As she stared at me, I nervously shuffled my foot against the ground. It made a scrapping noise and I was sure it was ruining my shoes. "Are you sure you don't need me to pay?"

It didn't really make a difference if she wanted me to or not. Only about ten dollars wasn't going to cover a forty dollar meal...

"I'm sure. Just think of it as a gift from Daddy." Carmen beamed as she placed her hands behind her back. Her pose reminded me of the way Isabella used to flirt with Phineas when we were younger.

"Well, it's late. I'm sure your parents don't want you to stand around outside all night, huh?" I shrugged as she anxiously traced her fingers up the leather seat of the bike and up to the handlebars. Her nails looked like they would snap in half just from the slightest pressure on them.

"My dad'll probably be mad if I'm not home, too." She stopped abruptly and looked at me in a way I'd never seen before. Her eyes were partly closed and head cocked to the left. "I really...._really _had fun tonight, Ferb."

I smiled, "Me, too."

Then, surprising me, she quickly closed the two feet between us. Before I could even think her toes were a near inch away from mine, the smell of sweet vanilla wafting through the air around me. Her perfume was intoxicating enough, but then, she closed her eyes and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. Her lips lingered there for a few seconds, then pulled away.

It felt wet, but amazing!

Carmen's face didn't show any emotion, despite joy, as she looked me hard in the face. Something on my face must have been amusing, because she looked like she would crack up after she got a good look at it.

"Wh-what!?" I stuttered as she let out several loud chuckles.

"Your!--" she had to take a breath. "Your face is all red!" She covered her mouth and pointed at my cheeks. It didn't help my blushing when she pointed it out; it just became a deeper shade of pink.

I lowered my head where she couldn't see it, only for her to place a hand under my chin and lift it back up. "You're adorable, though."

I didn't have any chance to reply. She placed a simple kiss on my lips, and I was forced to close my eyes and enjoy the muffled giggles I could still hear coming from her.

My hands were sweaty, making me resist the urge to hold onto her back the best I could. I kept them to my side, wishing I didn't look like such an idiot. Inside me was a strange mixture of emotions: excitement because of my first real kiss, fear that I might be a bad kisser to her, bliss in the knowledge that of everyone she could have, it was me, and worry from the fact that a light was on. I prayed everyone in the house was asleep and not betting if I was going to pass out or not...

It lasted about as long as the one before that, but when she stopped kissing me I could hear the quiet **'smack' **noise of flesh pulling apart. This time, when she stepped back, her face was a slight shade of red. I could barely make it out in the darkness.

"Heh..." she brought her fingertips to her mouth, fixing the smudged lipstick that only existed in her mind. "I never noticed it, but we're about the same height."

I wanted to laugh or throw out a simple 'yeah', but I was speechless. I stood there, mouth sealed together and palms nearly dripping, still wishing I didn't look like such an idiot.

"I'll talk to you later, then?" She quickly grabbed her helmet and placed it on her head as I nodded, still mute.

"Alright, well, sleep tight." With a smile, she sprang back on her bike and kicked it into gear. It sputtered smoke from the back and made a loud grinding noise. Before speeding off, Carmen turned and flashed me a soft smile.

Just in time, I managed to pull myself together and practically yell, "Bye!"

Her smile grew, showing off her teeth again, and she revved the engine. I stepped back as the scooter zipped down the driveway and waved good-bye. Her hair flowed all around her face as she waved back, until she disappeared down the street.

Finally, after standing and staring for what felt like forever, I turned and headed for the door.

It didn't dawn on me until them that I didn't have my keeps with me. Though, luckily when I grabbed the doorknob it wasn't locked. That proved that someone was awake inside waiting from me. All I hoped was that it wasn't Mom; I wanted to savor the memory of my first kiss a little longer, and seeing her would make it rather awkward.

I stepped inside and kicked off my tennis shoes, too tired to pick them up. I'd take the heat from my parents in the morning...

When I walked into the living room, a noticed the reading lamp next to the couch was on. Nobody was sitting on the couch or the recliner. Only Perry, sleeping in his dog basket we'd both him nearly three years ago. It was falling apart, but still served its purpose nicely.

Perry snored and didn't even open up his eyes to look at me as I crouched down and stroked his back softly. His snoring sounded like the strange chirping noise he always made, only softer.

Before leaving the room, I turned off the light and headed upstairs to get ready for bed. Even though anyone else would probably be up for another hour or so, I was exhausted! I couldn't wait to flop down in bed, as long as Phineas didn't quiz me.

The hope, however, didn't last too long. Our bedroom door was closed shut, and light flooded into the dark hallway from under the door. It was obvious that Phineas was the one who left the door unlocked, light on downstairs, and probably spying the entire time on my private moment on the driveway.

I sighed and opened up the door, preparing myself for him to pop up before me the second I walked in.

Instead, he was lying on his bed. He hadn't even heard me come in; his headphone buds were stuck in his ears and his eyes were glued to the silver Nintendo DS in his hands. I could have ran in screaming and he wouldn't have noticed me, which was probably as much of a bad thing as good.

It wasn't until I was at my bedside dresser digging out my pajamas that he finally noticed me there. His excruciatingly loud music stopped and I heard the bed creak.

"Finally you're home!" he moaned in a slightly irritated tone. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a pair of black, wrinkled sweat pants as he continued his complaining. "I thought you'd be home at nine. If I'd know you'd be late I wouldn't have waited up!"

"Stop complaining..." I managed to find a decent shirt in the bottom of the drawer and threw it on the bed. "Why were you up waiting anyway?"

He shrugged, then laid back down. When his head hit the pillow, it made a loud thump as if underneath were a sheet of metal. "I wanted to make sure you didn't get ripped off."

"What?" It came out far more annoyed than I intended.

"Ripped off. Make sure you got some action on your first date..." Phineas explained, too casually for my taste.

I folded my arms and leaned against the side of the bed, glaring at him. "And what makes you think anything like that happened?"

He looked at me like I was an idiot, then the corners of his mouth pulled up into a disturbing smile. "Because I don't remember you wearing lipstick."

My face paled as he pointed to his own lips. Quickly I smothered my wrist against my mouth and saw it covered in red. "Gee, thanks for telling me." I remarked sarcastically.

He laughed as I headed out of the room.

"So I'm guessing _she _had a good time judging from all that stuff on your face!" he yelled as I was in the hall. I had to lean back in the doorway and shush him so not to wake up Mom and Dad. After he hit puberty, regards for others was one of Phineas' worst characteristics.

He grimaced and picked up his game again as I dashed to the bathroom.

--

That Saturday morning was outrageously hectic. Mom and Candace woke up at nearly six in the morning to look for wedding dresses, even though it was far too early. I was sure Dad had to go work; that was something he did on Saturday mornings every now and them. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't come home until around in the afternoon.

Phineas had told me the night before, just before I fell asleep, how Candace and Jeremy had come back an hour after I left with Carmen. Of course the two of them were in Candace's old room. I figured that out when I walked by and saw the door wide open and covers scattered. Apparently Mom and Dad weren't too concerned about what they would be doing together in that room.

I could hear Candace and Mom bickering downstairs when they headed out to the gown stores, and couldn't fall back to sleep afterwards. The only thing I could do was get up and start the day or stare upward and count the tiles on the ceiling…again…423.

My feet echoed down the wooden stairs at seven. Practically the entire house was empty: Phineas was still asleep, and I assumed Jeremy went with his fiancé. I was shocked to find him lying on the couch with Perry in his lap. His hair was longer than I'd remembered it, coming down just past his ears, and he had definitely grown into his face better. It was much longer now than when he was sixteen.

Like always, he was dressed in a casual wear: a striped green sweater and khaki pants. Even though I made more noise than usual getting downstairs that morning (yawning and groaning, that is), so it was interesting that he hardly took his nose out of the book he was reading.

I slowly stalked next to the side of the couch and sat on the armrest. He was still majorly clueless.

He tilted the book at an angle where I could see the cover. It was a solid black paperback with a picture of white flower that looked like it had been dipped in blood. Inside, I sighed.

"Umm...aren't you a little too old to be reading the Twilight series?"

Jeremy didn't even flinch. Obviously, he saw me coming but couldn't commit to looking away from the pages. "No. No, I don't think so..." he remarked quickly. His eyes only drifted from the text a few seconds before returning. "Besides these aren't mine."

I could see that the back was ripped halfway to the middle. Only Dad's copy of _New Moon _had that, made by Phineas almost a week after he had bought it. It was hilarious and terrifying all at once to watch him desperately try and fix it.

"You got it from Dad's study?"

Jeremy nodded slowly. "He'll be gone all day; he won't notice." He licked his finger and turned a page. I was glad I didn't read the books, that was a disgusting habit. "Besides, I can't put it down! It's not the best book I've ever read, but I need to know what goes on next with Jacob."

Deep-brown eyes darted from left to right quickly across the pages. Jeremy was a very fast reader.

"So I'm guessing you support team Jacob." I mused. It must have been obvious, because he cackled softly.

"Aren't you? I mean, Edward seems sort of hypocritical to me. Why did he leave Bella to protect her when he knew she was going to have her heart broken so badly?" He was sitting up on the couch now. Perry looked very disturbed but soon feel back to a sound sleep.

"Sorry, but I'm not really into vampire and....werewolf books. I only know most about it because Dad goes on and on about them."

"Ah," The couch squeaked as he swung his legs over the edge of it and placed his feet flat on the floor. "Well, who do you think she should be with?"

I held back the urge to laugh. "Honestly, I think it should be Jasper."

His brow rose in confusion. "What?"

"That's just my opinion. From what I'm told I just think he deserves better than Alice."

"Wow, your Dad must talk about the series _a lot_." The book was snapped shut and placed on the coffee table in front of him. With a yawn, he stretched his arms high over his head and showed of him off-white teeth. "Wanna go outside and shoot some hoops?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but was too late. He jumped from the couch and headed to the stair closet to get a basketball. The ball was about ten feet in the back of the closet and would have probably taken a few minutes to find. Surprisingly, it only took Jeremy about thirty seconds. That only proved how much time he spent at our house back in his adolescent days.

He bounced the ball a few times. "Come on, you need the exercise." With a flick of his wrists, he sent the ball sailing to me, which I managed to catch only just before it would have smacked me in the face.

"That's funny, most people tell me the opposite."

With a shrug he started for the door; I was right behind him.

--

Jeremy dribbled the ball up the driveway and skillfully slammed it dead center in the net. He was in great shape. I hadn't tried yet, but I knew that Hell would freeze over before I could ever make a basket.

The ball rolled a few feet and I stopped it with my foot. The old basketball net was terribly worn. Honestly, the only reason we even had one was because Phineas begged for days so he could work out. Dad had gone out and bought one, my brother used it a handful of times every week, and it was dismissed.

It wasn't that bad looking, seeing as it was four or five years old. The only weathering I could detect was the rotting of the wood around the edges, the chain net beginning to rust terribly, and paint crumbling off and falling to the ground when the backboard was hit too hard. Overall though, it still held its purpose. I picked up the incredibly dirt stained ball and began to dribble it. Soon I got cocky and dribbled though my legs and got into position to shoot.

Jeremy gave me an impressed look. "You're pretty good, why don't you try out for a team?"

For a second I stared at him awkwardly, then gave him a crooked grin. I held the ball in front of my face, aimed, then launched the ball towards the net.

Unfortunately, my upper body strength wasn't like it used to be when I was ten. The ball sailed about three feet into the air, missed the basket by a mile, and bounced on the ground until it hit the garage door.

"That's why." I told him with a pathetic sigh.

With a shrug he picked up the ball and began spinning it on his finger, like I didn't feel inferior enough.

"So I heard you had a date last night." Jeremy mused. I could feel my face heat up, and looked away.

"Er…yeah. That's right." I scratched the back of my head as he continued to spin the ball.

"Well," he shot me a look that made me a little nervous, "What's her name?" The ball fell from his fingertip and tumbled away. I could hear him barely mutter an 'Oh, damn!' as he fumbled to pick it up.

"She's just a girl who goes to my school. Carman Alexander." I shrugged. "I've known her for a while."

The sun moved out from behind a cloud and now shone brightly in my face. I rose my hand to cover my eyes. Jeremy had the ball again and had it back on his finger. He jerked his head and a lock of messy, dirty blond hair leapt from his face. "Is she pretty?"

I felt like sighing. "Yes, very." He didn't catch an ounce of my annoyance.

"Awesome." It almost fell of its balance a second time, but he tilted his finger just in time to catch it. "You need a girlfriend. A kid your age should be worrying less about school and having fun."

I didn't expect him to pass the ball to me. It bounced once and headed straight for my chest as I opened my arms to catch it. The impact made me grunt softly. "I want to get into a good college, so I need to stay focused on my grades."

He must have thought I was a nerd, because he laughed a little too hard. "You don't have to always worry about them though. Go out and have more fun on the weekends. Go hang out with your friends from school, you know?"

I wanted to tell him so badly that all the people from my school were horrible. But that wasn't the honest truth. Hardly any of them knew anything about me, and vice versa. All I knew about most of them was that they spent a lot of time on the weekends partying. Sometimes I wondered why I was even in that school, but the scholarships would help me remember.

"I just don't feel too social around those people." I tossed the ball as hard as I could to him, yet he still had to walk a few feet to pick it up. "We're just too different."

"But you're dating one of them aren't you? Carmen, right?"

My hands found their way to my pocket and I sighed. "Yeah, but…she's just different. She's nice."

I could hear him make a strange noise, like he was thinking something over. He tossed the ball in the air and the chains rattled angrily as he made another basket. It was a good thing we weren't playing an actual game.

We shot a few more baskets and began a game of H.O.R.S.E, when Phineas opened the door and walked onto the porch. He was still wearing his worn looking pajamas and house shoes, but at least his hair was combed neatly. There was something in his hand; I couldn't tell until he held it high in the air to get our attention.

"Hey, Ferb!" he yelped, causing Jeremy to turn his attention to him as well. "Phone call!"

I shrugged at Jeremy and walked towards the porch. When a few feet from him, I noticed it was my cell phone is his hand. He handed it too me and mouthed the words 'your girlfriend' with a smug expression. My face went from confused to annoyed in an instant, though inside I was more than anxious to take the call right there in front of him. He lazily walked back towards the stairs as I flopped down onto Dad's chair in the living room.

On the other line, I could hear the quiet sound of pop music and the television. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, cutie!" My face instantly went to a bright smile as I heard my favorite bubbly voice. "How've you been?"

"Better now." I gushed. She giggled at my response and I instantly heard the television turn off along with the music.

"Well, I just missed the sound of your voice, so I thought I'd call you."

Compared to the way she talked, my words sounded rehearsed. She sounded so cool and comfortable on the other line. It was a relief that I wasn't as shy as I was the first time she talked to me in the mall.

"So, I was wondering," I was forced to direct my full attention to her after hearing that voice. "Do you have any plans tomorrow?"

"You have another date in mind?" After it came out of my mouth, I wanted to kick myself. I was making myself sound like a dork. Even though I'd gotten more comfortable with her, I couldn't shake that gene. But, apparently, she didn't think so.

"I guess you could say that. Just wondering if you'd like to come hang out at my place for a little while." she asked as I imagined her twisting a straightened strand of her around her thin, painted finger.

My heart skipped a few beats. The last thing I'd thought of, ever, was going to Carmen's house. It hadn't ever crossed my mind to meet her father, see the room where she sleeps at night, the television she watched, and the floors she walked on.

Well, maybe a few times…

"That sounds great." My voice come out more enthused than I'd liked it to, but she only snickered sweetly. "I'd love too!"

"Cool. I can't wait to give you the tour." There was a short silence on both ends of the line; almost awkward. I heard the sound of the television again. She must have turned it back on. From the noises of guns and screaming, it must have been a horror or war movie.

Finally, she spoke up before I had to. "Oh, and could you bring your little brother?"

I was greatly surprised by this. She spat it out like it was something she asked all the time. "What fo--I mean, why?"

"I'd just like to meet him. You talked about him so much last night, it'd be nice to meet him in person."

I cleared my throat as the screaming continued on the screen. "But, don't you think he'd…" my voice trailed off. It was difficult to find the proper words without sound too obvious of what was on my mind. "Don't you think he would get in the way?"

"Hmm…" she thought. The screaming finally stopped and I heard rap music take its place. "Does he like video games?"

I rolled my eyes. There were two game stations sitting on the entertainment center that only Phineas ever played: an Xbox 360 and an old Gamecube. Not to mention the DS that never left his room. "He's an addict, actually."

I could practically feel her smile. "Then he'll be out of our hair for a while."

I went into the kitchen and grabbed a pen and piece of paper on the counter. As she told me the address to her house, I scribbled it down as quick as I could. The address wasn't too far from our house. Probably only about a fifteen minute drive.

"Right, got it." The pen fell from my hand and rolled onto the floor, but it didn't bother me a bit. "What time should we be there?"

"Doesn't matter to me. I guess before the afternoon if you can."

I nodded. "Alright. I'll see you then."

In a cheery voice, she responded, "Bye, sweetie." nearly making me melt and drop the phone to the floor. Before that could happen though, I hung it up and held onto the kitchen counter to try and slow my racing heart down. For a few moments I stared into space (or more precisely the chandelier on the ceiling) until I heard footsteps leaving carpet and stepping onto tile floor. When I looked to the doorway, I saw Phineas standing there with a curious look. He had finally gotten dressed in a pair of greenish-brown jeans and blue Abercrombie T-shirt.

"So, what'd she want?"

I pushed myself off the counter with my hands and started towards the front door. "We're going to Carmen's house tomorrow."

Phineas let out something of a gasp and whine. "We?" he questioned. "I thought she only wanted _you_ with her!?" He pointed to me accusingly once he said 'you'.

"Well, she wants to meet you. Try and sound a little more excited."

The last thing I heard him say as I pulled open the door and headed back to Jeremy was Phineas asking if she had a swimming pool.

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**I think I shall forever dedicate my life to hating WordPad. And coffee, even though I'm not allowed to have it anymore.**

**Also, kudos to my new beta reader Roy42!**

**Read and review, please. Remember the kittens!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Terribly sorry for the long wait everyone! I was too insistent of going into a college level class just in my junior year and taking a creative writing class in hopes of improving my…well, writing. I'm getting the feeling it's working, but it's seriously cutting into my ****fan fiction fun. :****C**

**I was considering going onto the little 'new chapter' section and adding an author's note as a chapter; however, that would go against basically everything I stand for on this site! Plus, I'm sure many of you would go emo from letdown. **

**But all that's beside the point. It's somewhat ironic, actually. In the last chapter I said I would have all the chapters up quicker. –awkward chuckle- Well, if it makes you guys feel better, I am NOT giving up hope on this story. It's become my baby, and like a baby, you can't leave it out in the cold. Listening to it cry and having your conscious slowly eaten away. Well, you CAN, but I'm sure it would be very good judgment. That's why I'm continuing full force! I totally missed the anniversary for the story.**

**So, let's celebrate late with a new chapter! –throws confetti- **

_**Engaging Nightmare**_

_**Chapter 13**_

_Ferb's POV_

"I just don't understand why _I_ have to go!"

The entire car ride, all Phineas seemed to want to do was complain. I was relieved that he at least decided to dress decently, however; instead of struggling into a pair of ratty pants and a shirt, he actually wore a new pair of jeans and pull-over sweat shirt.

As he continued his whining about how he wanted to go to the park that day, I turned onto an unknown road and sped forward at nearly sixty miles an hour. I didn't worry too much about cops though, knowing they would hardly be in this area of Danville. The place we were traveling just…seemed too empty.

"Why are you making this so difficult? I swear, you're a child." I grunted and flicked the turn signal on and shifted to the left lane.

"She's _your_ girlfriend. Why does she want me to go so bad?" He crossed his arms and leaned back in the seat. One leg was placed on the seat; the other kicked the dashboard loudly. "I could be with Isabella right now."

I snorted and he glared at me. "Are you kidding? You two would still be in your beds asleep."

There was a silence, before I realized he had looked at the clock on the dashboard. "It's nearly two in the afternoon!" He said, trying to sound hurt at my notion of him being so lazy.

"Well, you _were_ up most of the night on the phone with her…"

Without a word, he sighed and began staring out the window. It was strangely awkward for a few moments; usually Phineas wouldn't stop talking about things like school, Isabella, track, and 'those idiots who inhabit Danville High'. Despite not being much of a talker, I hadn't really noticed that when Phineas was quiet, things were…quiet.

He rested his head on his hand and propped his elbow on the door. "I wonder how big her house is."

I shrugged. "I guess we'll find out soon."

I mentally cursed myself for leaving the paper the address was written on carelessly placed on the kitchen counter when we had first left. Fortunately, all those years of memorizing dates, names, and places had trained me well, and the address wouldn't leave my head for anything.

My eyes would casually trail from the road a few times and up into the dark clouds that lingered overhead. The only thing that could ruin this day would be a rainstorm. Of course, Phineas may have his hand at mischief, but that was something I could overlook, having many years of practice.

After a while, we passed a brightly colored arrangement of bricks that had been built around a jet black mailbox. The numbers I was searching for were painted on the side, and I turned my Toyota sharply into the gravel driveway.

Phineas instantly became interesting in his surroundings, which was a sudden change. He looked out the window beside him, behind through the back one, and the windshield with wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth, like he was a little kid visiting his first theme park, or something.

"Whoa!" he gasped as he set his eyes on the house. "You're kidding me!"

"That…is a pretty big house." I noted, with equal amusement. It was unbelievable! It had to be the most beautiful house I had ever seen! Even more mesmerizing than the hundred year old homes I remember seeing in England from summer vacations.

The details were amazing as we got closer. The house — no, mansion! — was painted a brilliant white, from the beginning of the shingles to the bottom of the basement window, which I could see had bright pink curtains hanging on the inside.

"These guys really are loaded, huh?" Phineas asked me as he pressed his face dangerously close to the windshield, smearing the glass with his hands. I resisted the horrible urge to tap on the brakes and watch him collide face first; instead, I laughed quietly to myself before telling him to sit correctly.

I parked the car beside the (also white) garage, beside a large bed of flowers that made a direct impact with my senses as soon as I stepped out of the car, with about the force of a freight train; they were _that _strong. Each flower was a lovely shade of pink and orange, matching soundly with the garage and house. Phineas stepped out of the vehicle as well, slammed the door and scuffing his feet on the gravel as he walked around to me.

"Wish we had a house like this. I'll bet they have like, forty rooms inside."

"You have to remember, Dad does work for her father." I reminded him, beginning to make my way to the concrete paved walk that led to the door.

Phineas grunted, in a contemplating sort of way. "Maybe Dad'll get a promotion someday."

As a response, I shrugged as we stood in front of the dark hickory-wood door. Even the small details of the doors carving were stunning. It felt like an Easter egg hunt, as I became ever more alike with Phineas. I was almost more eager to see the inside of the large home than Carmen herself…wait, seriously?

I rang the doorbell twice and smoothed back my delicately combed hair, which Mom had suggested before the two of us left. I would have to remember to thank her for the advice.

We stood waiting for what felt like an eternity. Phineas bounced impatiently beside me, while I struggled with identifying why sweat was forming on my neck. It wasn't hot outside at all!

Finally, I could hear footsteps on the other side of the door. They echoed, as if in a long hallway, which, really, wouldn't have surprised me in the least.

With a few rattles and a loud *CLANK*, the door finally cracked open, revealing a single, brilliant green eye and beautiful locks of blonde hair.

"Ferb!" The small gap in the door was shut quickly and Phineas and I exchanged confused looks as another series of rattles was heard. Then, the door swung open fully, and we were welcomed with Carmen's full presence. "I'm so happy you made it!" she gushed, as she swung her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

I returned the gesture, much more confident than I had the previous times. "I'm glad to be here."

We held each other for a while, earning some expressions of many varieties — switching between mock disgust, uneasiness, the kind of look you have when you feel like the third wheel — from Phineas, who I knew was highly uncomfortable. When she pulled away from me, she motioned us with a flick of her wrist. "Come inside! It's cold out today."

We did so quickly, feeling the wind beginning to take its toll, and she shut the door tightly behind us. When I peeked around at where we had come in from, I noticed what had been making all the racket: the door was riddled with locks of every kind, from the bottom, practically to the top. I wanted to ask if she was paranoid, but it didn't feel like the sort of thing to say on the first. Plus, Phineas beat me to it.

"What's with all the locks?" Just after the words left his mouth, I elbowed his roughly in the arm. He commented with an 'OW' and proceeded to give me a dirty look that indicated 'what the hell?'

"Don't be rude!" I hissed to him through gritted teeth, as he rubbed his sore side. Carmen, however, only giggled. She must have thought our 'brotherly love' was cute.

"It's okay, really." She turned and began to fasten back all the locks. "It's just 'cause we have so much stuff inside, is all. Daddy's scared the house is a giveaway for robbers. He doesn't trust anything other than locks."

When she finished her task, she turned on her heels and looked me over. "You look nice today." I blushed and tugged at my shirt. "T-thank you."

I didn't get the chance to return the compliment, for she had shifter her full attention to my brother. Her eyes scanned from his feet to the top of his red covered head.

She finally outstretched her hand in front of him, a wide grin plastered on her face and once again showing off her perfect teeth. "My name's Carmen, by the way."

Words couldn't express how thankful I was that Phineas did not take her hand and kiss it, or anything as equally cheesy. He simply took it in his and gave it a firm shake. "Nice to finally meet you."

"You're brother's told me a lot about you." She rubber her hands against her jean clad thighs as she smiled at him, then to me. Phineas chuckled, and I rolled my eyes. He turned around and looked all over the house, which was just as nice on the inside as the out…no, much nicer, by far.

I was doing the same, when I felt something slink around my arm. It was Carmen, linking her thin arm around mine. "My dad won't be home for a little while. So I guess we have the house all to ourselves." She told us as she gave my arm a tight squeeze. I could feel my face heating up again.

"That's fine with us," Phineas shrugged, not bothering to turn back around and continued to gawk at their possessions. "You've got a really big house!"

I felt my arm vibrate a little as Carmen laughed. "Well, would you two like a tour?"

That really caught his attention. He whipped around so fast I thought he might actually fall over. "That'd be awesome!" It was obvious he was exaggerating his emotions a small bit. That was the easiest thing to figure out about Phineas, at least for me: his inability to hide the obvious emotions he felt at the time. For example, whenever Mom made something questionable for dinner, his mouth may say 'yum' but his eyes say 'huh?'

Carmen pulled on my arm as she walked forward. "I guess we'll start with the first floor, then."

She showed us each room of the house, which I beamed at her for each, while Phineas acknowledged all the expensive looking decorations. From the kitchen to the caramel colored walls of the exercise room on the second floor, everything was so neatly arranged and comforting. There were too many candles to count on all fingers and toes, wafting the strange mix of berries and lilac into every room. I wondered to myself if they did that on purpose.

Carmen would smile at Phineas' reactions as he peered into each room, until we came to a closed door.

"I think you'll like this one." She told him as she nuzzled her head against my arm. I could sense the 'I know something you don't!' playfulness in her voice, which only confused Phineas.

With a rise of his brow, he pushed the door open and revealed a room to which I knew made my brother's heart skip a beat…or five. The room was small but filled with furniture directly from a gamers paradise.

A few oversized armchairs sat directly in front of what had to be a top-of-the-line plasma screen TV. The floor it overlooked was strewn with game boxes, some of which I recognized from Phineas's collection to be Xbox and Gamecube boxes. The others were unfamiliar. In a corner near the TV was a bunch of game peripherals; dance mats, steering wheels, Guitar Hero instruments, you name it.

In the other corner of the room was a small refrigerator that belonged in either a college freshmen's dorm, or a 5 star hotel room, slightly opened and showing off several Red Bulls and Diet Mountain Dews; there were probably lots of candy bars being kept cool in there as well. Every other inch of the room was crammed with bean-bag chairs, cushions and pillows, save the large empty space in from of the main chairs.

It wall all too cliché for my taste, but Phineas didn't seem to mind.

"These are Wii and Xbox360 games!" His voice cracked as he fell to his knees and began to look through the large collection. "I haven't even heard of some of these!"

"Daddy plays them, not me." She let go of my arm and walked to stand next to him as he continued to inspect the games. "I'm not really into videogames."

Phineas held one game in his hands, which I noted were shaking. "You're not going to cry are you, Phineas?" I asked him.

His head shook slightly, and his words come out struggled. "I believe I could."

He was exaggerating again…

"So, I guess we can leave you here?" Carmen asked, snapping Phineas out of his possessive gaze. She walked over to the television and knelt down to the small cabinets of the stand it sat on. Practically every gaming station (or at least the ones that I heard of) known to man was revealed when she opened them, and I could have sworn I heard Phineas whimper.

"Me and Ferb are gonna go downstairs. You won't get lonely up here, will you?"

A Cheshire cat like smile crept across his face as he yanked up the nearest wireless controller. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

--

Carmen led me down the spiral stairs, past the large sitting room with a fireplace that crackled loudly, and through a door that revealed yet another flight of stairs, though this one was straight.

"You wanna see my room?" she asked in a sing-song tone as she grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs. Her blond hair flowed delicately behind her, making me desperately want to reach out and run my fingers through it. I held the hand on the guardrail instead…_tightly_.

She playfully jumped down the rest of the stairs and outstretched her arms while chirping "Ta-da!" When she did this, I noticed she was wearing bunny slippers. My laughing must have been mistaken for her action, though.

I looked around the enormous room, which was the entire basement. The walls matched the soft carpet I could feel beneath my feet (having taken off our shoes at the door), a large, blue couch sat in the middle of the room with a coffee table in the front; a stereo system; the large canopy bed; the dozens of posters on the walls…it really put my and Phineas's room to shame, without a doubt. I could only say one thing: "Wow…"

"You like it?"

I nodded my head. "It's amazing. I wish it was mine." I told her with a chuckle. It just looked so comfortable. After entering the room, it took me a moment to notice that the area didn't smell like the rest of the house. This smell was hers: sweet vanilla and sugar.

"Let's go sit down, then." Carmen took my hand and led me to the couch, on which she plopped down with a thud. I followed suit.

Before I even had the chance to thank the heavens that I was sitting in her room, next to her — did I mention I was in her room? I was _in her room!_ — Carmen had her arms flung around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

Her face snuggled into my chest, and I quickly hugged her back.

"I missed you, Ferb!" she squealed, bringing a large smile to my face. "I'm so glad you came; I thought I'd be here by myself all day!"

It took a moment, but I finally felt comfortable enough to rest my cheek against the top of her hair. It was soft like silk, but smelled incredibly good; I had to resist inhaling deeply with my nose, lest I seem like a creep. My hand rose up and received its eager wish. I ran my fingers through it, twisted it, and played with the strands of gold.

"I could never say no to you." I told her, mentally kicking myself for saying something so obviously lame.

She had either not noticed or decided not to mention it. Her delicate hand slinked around our entwined bodies and caught mine that wasn't busy with her hair. Her red-tipped nails slithered through mine until we were fully holding hands. My entire body had begun to blush and my heart went crazy in my chest. I waited for Carmen to notice, which didn't take long.

She looked up at me from my chest, her chin pressed tightly against me. "You're heart's speeding up…" The smile she formed after the statement didn't help the situation much.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, which mixed with a soft of chuckle. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "It's okay." I felt her head tilt in the direction to where her eyes were focused on our hands, and her ear was placed flat on my chest. "It sounds nice."

We stayed like that for a while: her listening to my heart and me sitting uncomfortably stiff. The way I was sitting was beginning to make my leg fall asleep, and my arm was twisted into a strange angle pressed against the couch. All in all, though, it was totally worth the pain. After all, I was _in her room!_

After I had gotten used to her being so close to me for such a long time, my heart finally calmed down. I just couldn't get over how amazing she smelled, as weird as it may have sounded. I honestly didn't care.

"This is nice." Her soft voice nearly startled me again. I was so preoccupied with her scent, hair and practically everything else, I hadn't noticed that she had our hands up close to her face. She looked at them, almost absent-mindedly inspecting them, turning them over as they clenched together happily. "Every other time I was with someone, they never just wanted to hold hands."

I laughed, yet couldn't ignore the painful spark I felt in the pit of my stomach. I pushed that aside, searching from something to say that would reflect on my jealousy.

"You're hands are very soft." I told her as I rubbed my thumb over hers. True, it was completely off topic. She thanked me anyway, and watched the movement of my digit, working circles and figure-8s slowly.

We continued to sit in silence as her eyes continued watching our hands. Okay, she might have been liking this, but the silence was absolutely agonizing for me, and my position still wasn't helping things any. I wanted to open my mouth and say something, but my mind was blank. There was literally nothing I could say to her that would make any sense in her ears. My rambles of her eyes, smell, hair, and hands just felt so awkward and out of place to be blurted out at random, and any of the comments I could make about school, politics, or whatever; I just knew they'd break the mood.

Perhaps an apology would be a clever ice-breaker.

I ran my fingers through her hair, noting the long strands that clung around my fingers as I pulled them out of their home. "Sorry." I said simply.

Carmen, wide eyed, looked to me. Her expression was confused; I didn't blame her, really.

"Sorry? For what?"

"I'm not too chatty today, am I?"

There was a pause, and I became paranoid that the awkwardness had set in again. That thought was instantly shattered when she shook her head.

"That's okay. Like I said, this is nice." She gave my hand a squeeze, and I twitched a little. "You don't have to be so tense, Ferb; the quiet's nice."

I looked down at her, appreciating the green eyes that stared into mine. "Yeah," My arm wrapped around her and clasped onto her back. "I think so, too."

Before I even knew it, the two of us were kissing. This time, I relaxed and let her wrap her arms around my neck as the two of us fell back on the couch.

She wasn't very heavy, but the position we were in made my leg ache from her weight, like it wasn't already suffering enough. I tried to ignore it and focused on the fact that her tongue had worked its way into my mouth.

This must have been French kissing. Phineas sure liked to talk about it in regards to Isabella…and, why was I thinking about my brother while kissing a girl? Back to Carmen.

I could feel her lip gloss rubbing off onto my lips, greeting me with that familiar taste. My eyes fluttered shut as I enjoyed the sensation of her tongue touching mine. The sensation was almost strange, but I did the same after a few moments.

We continued at that rhythmic pace: our lips pressed tightly together, tongues dancing, her arms hugging my neck tightly, and me tangling my fingers in her hair. Through the whole motion of me listening to her giggles and slight moans that vibrated my mouth, I tried to forget that this was another first time thing for me.

Whatever, I thought. I'm sure she'll be okay not knowing…

--TO BE CONTINUED-----

**More major kudos to my beta reader, if he's still around. **_*Don't worry, I am*_

**Once again, very sorry for the long wait. I'd appreciate any fans left to comment. Christmas break is just a few days away, and when I'm not studying and working on scholarships, I'll be pouring all my remaining time onto here.**

**Review for the kittens!**


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